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Want to help others -- and yourself --
cope with aging?
Santa Barbara News Press
Frank Newton
July 22, 2008 8:26 AM
"Life would be infinitely happier if only we could be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18" -- Mark Twain
When you stop and think about it for a moment, growing old is a pretty grim prospect. Friends and relatives die off, leading to loneliness. Retirement may not be all that it's cracked up to be. Not having enough money is a problem. I hear tell, having a lot of money creates headaches, too. On top of that, your body goes through a lot of changes, almost none of which are anything to look forward to.
Maybe that's why we Americans try not to stop and think about it, even for a moment.
Fortunately, there is a wonderful local organization that can help us cope with the travails of life beyond age 50: the Center for Successful Aging
.
CSA basically offers one type of service: counseling for those age 50-plus. It's not the intense psychotherapy you might imagine; but, as Liza Doolittle would say, it's "more friendly like." All the counselors are age 50-plus volunteers who have been well-trained. They are called "peer counselors" because they are roughly the same age as their clients.
Like a good friend, a peer counselor is sympathetic, but well-trained in good listening skills. Because they're the same age, they can relate more easily to the client's troubles. And because they're guided by mental health professionals, their empathy can more effectively help build someone's self-esteem and empower them to tackle life's problems.
"Caring, trust and innovation grounded in professional training" expresses the credo of CSA. And that training enables peer counselors to help seniors in one-on-one or group counseling sessions, addressing such crucial aging problems as physical changes, social isolation, loss, depression, stress and life transitions.
CSA has about two dozen peer counselors, most of whom are seeing one to three clients per week. But there is a clear need for more counselors because the number of people turning age 50 is rapidly increasing day by day.
To find and train more peer counselors, CSA is planning a 10-week training session starting in October. It is accepting applications now from any interested person age 50 and over.
"We're looking for people who can listen, who are compassionate, who have empathy and like seniors," explains Beverly Schydlowsky, director of CSA. "They certainly don't need mental health backgrounds. They could have been librarians or bookkeepers all their life -- that really doesn't matter."
She said anyone considering becoming a peer counselor should ask the following questions: Am I the sort of person who people have always confided in? Have people always turned to me because I have a sympathetic ear?
"Fundamentally, that's the kind of person we're looking for," she said.
If you get accepted, you'll have to pay a bit for the training (remember, this is a nonprofit agency). But then get ready to embark on what may prove to be the most meaningful and personally satisfying work you've ever done in your life.
"Our peer counselors find their training exciting and enriching," emphasizes Dr. Schydlowsky. "The training is great and the experience of being a counselor benefits the counselor as much as the client. Peer counselors make new friends; they perform a service that's vitally needed; and they get back a lot more than they give."
If this sounds like it's right up your alley, then give it a try. CSA is in need of peer counselors and they'd love to see your application. All you have to do to get an application is call the CSA office at 963-8080 or download one from their Web site at www.csasb.org/training.html.
The application deadline is Sept. 15 and the training will begin in October at CSA's offices downtown, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, 524 Chapala St. Remember, CSA is a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization, open to any and all interested persons.
Santa Barbara-based Frank Newton has worked with seniors in various capacities over the years, including as executive director of the Southwest Society on Aging in Dallas. His column appears every other week.
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