As Michele Karel states in her foreword to this book, the demographic changes facing most of the world will require a large workforce of clinicians trained to work with older adults – something that we currently lack. Both Bob Knight and Nancy Pachana have devoted much of their working lives to working with older adults, researching how to do this more effectively, and inspiring and teaching others how to become effective psychologists. It is not surprising, then, that this depth of experience shines through this volume. Consequently, this book will be very useful both for trainees and more experienced clinicians.

The first two chapters are devoted to an explication of the CALTAP model, and its application to assessment. This trans-theoretical model for working with older adults, which Bob Knight has developed and refined over a period of years, is central to the book. “CALTAP” stands for the Contextual Lifespan Theory for Adapting Psychotherapy, and provides a framework for conceptualising clinical presentations and planning interventions in older adults. It proposes that presenting problems arise with the broad contexts of cohort and culture, and that their formulation must encompass consideration of normal age-related changes, such as slower cognitive processing speed, and the specific challenges of aging, such as the high likelihood of some degree of physical limitation. It also suggests that although clinicians need to make some modifications to their therapy practice, starting with their approach to assessment and the clinical interview, most of these arise out of the specific challenges of aging, and the social context in which these occur, such as residential care facilities. This model is not new, and for some years now I have included it when teaching therapy skills to students training to be clinical psychologists. This book, however, does demonstrate the application of the model to a broad range of clinical issues.

Thus, the next eight chapters consider the assessment and therapy issues associated with a broad range of clinical diagnoses and problems: depression, anxiety, dementia, psychological aspects of medical conditions, substance misuse, sleep complaints, psychosis and bipolar disorder, and personality disorder. Each chapter follows a similar format: first there is a brief introduction to the specific clinical issue, including its prevalence and key features in older adults. Then the authors discuss assessment both through clinical interview, and the use of screening instruments, followed by a consideration of treatment approaches that take into account the cultural, cohort and contextual factors relevant to this population. Finally, problems that may arise in therapy are considered: for example, the chapter on anxiety considers how to modify progressive muscle relaxation in clients who are in pain. One helpful feature of all these chapters is the inclusion of illustrative case examples, often drawn from the authors’ own practice. These are refreshingly realistic, unlike those in some therapy texts that seem to suggest that therapy will proceed smoothly and in a liner fashion. The book ends with a chapter on clinical supervision and consultation, and the part they have to play in encouraging and maintaining high standards of competence.

So who should buy this book? As a reasonably priced paperback, it is within the reach of advanced trainees and practicing psychologists, who will find much here to educate, stimulate and encourage them in their clinical work. Although probably written primarily with psychologists in mind, the CALTAP model could be a useful tool for other mental health disciplines. I will certainly continue to refer to this book, and recommend it to my university's library, as should others in a position to do so.