Contributed by Barry Jacobs

13 Results

A Script for Male Dementia Caregivers

Helping a Husband Be More Than a 'Pillar of Strength'

Many spousal dementia caregivers struggle emotionally watching their life partners slowly decline. But I also knew that male caregivers, especially spouses... Read more

What Basketball Taught Me About Therapy

Learning to Stay in the Game with Challenging Clients

Basketball has taught me many lessons. I learned about trust, relationships, and teamwork. I learned the power to regulate feelings. It would shape my... Read more

A Squeeze of the Hand

What Does a Son Owe His Mother?

After a lifetime of conflict, a son faces the question of what he owes his mother. Read more

Intimate Enemies

A Stepson Reconsiders a Long-Held Resentment

A stepson reconsiders a long-held resentment. Read more

The Rewards of Caregiving

Escaping Negative Cycles

How to help beleaguered caretakers of elderly parents find meaning and purpose in a challenging task. Read more

Helping Therapy Clients Cope with the Reality of Death

Clinical Wisdom to Combat Fear, Anxiety, and Grief at the End of Life

For 17 years, managing responses to death has become part of my work, whether originally my intention or not. I’ve aspired to helping families hang tough... Read more

Doing What's Best for Mom and Dad

Helping Contentious Siblings Find Common Cause

A parent's failing health can stir up a hornet's nest of trouble among adult siblings. Read more

Honoring the Mission

Don’t Be too Quick to Ease the Caregiver’s Burden

Q: My clients who take care of aging parents complain about being exhausted, depressed, and resentful, but resist my suggestions for making their lives easier... Read more

Game On!

Bringing the locker room into the consulting room

Although therapy is often considered a profession dominated by the female sensibility, a lifelong gym rat, much practiced in the arts of masculine aggression... Read more

Receiving with Grace

Teaching reluctant seniors to accept help

Q: Many of my older clients and their family caregivers resist accepting help from others. How can I get them to receive the care they need? A: For those... Read more

Reliable Witness

What it Takes to be With Your Clients to the End

Few of us instinctively know what to do and say when families are confronting the death of a loved one. But we can start by being with them in the struggle. Read more

War Stories

Helping Old Soldiers Find the Will to Live

Helping old soldiers find the will to fight Read more

Families facing a disabling illness often take refuge in a collective folie. Read more

Barry Jacobs

Barry J. Jacobs, Psy.D. is a Philly area-based clinical psychologist, healthcare consultant, and coauthor (with his wife, Julia L. Mayer, Psy.D.) of AARP Meditations for Caregivers (Da Capo, 2016) and AARP Love and Meaning After 50 (Hachette, 2020). He writes a monthly self-help column for family caregivers on AARP.org.