Rediscovering meaning when entering “older age”: A counseling case study based on a lifespan development and a pluralistic approach.

The entrance to“older age” is a life transition that has significant emotional and identity repercussions for individuals. Even though the recent scholarly and research literature has been increasingly investigating this area of psychotherapy, this is often approached from a “life review” perspective that tends to view meaning and fulfillment in older age as deriving more from the person’s past rather than their present life. The case study in hand explores the therapeutic encounter with a client at this stage of life from a lifespan development and pluralistic perspective, which emphasizes the potential for growth and meaning in later age, based on the client’s constructive reflection on their accumulated life experience and the empowerment of their own agency and drive. Thus, the “lifeline exercise” is used creatively by drawing on the client’s fondness for drawing and her lifelong connection with the ocean as a point of emotional reference. The case study argues that the particular client benefits significantly from this approach, and this further suggests that this approach can indeed produce positive outcomes, when there is a robust and collaborative therapeutic relationship and when the client is ready to engage with such creative activities in therapy.