Two friends having conversation at work

DCP Faculty of the Psychology of Older People

Established in 1980 the Faculty of the Psychology of Older People provides a forum for psychologists to exchange information, ideas and expertise about psychological approaches with older people.

About

Established in 1980, the Faculty of the Psychology of Older People (FPOP) provides a forum for members throughout the UK to exchange information, ideas and expertise about psychological approaches with older people.

Although primarily for psychologists, membership of the faculty is open to individuals from other disciplines and voluntary groups who share an interest in work with older people. 

Aims

The Faculty of the Psychology of Older People's aims are as follows:

  • Advising and influencing policy and services
  • Challenging stereotypes and age discrimination
  • Collaborating with professional and voluntary groups 
  • Maintaining a forum for exchange of expert knowledge and skills 
  • Pioneering innovations in care
  • Promote research which enhances the lives of older people 
  • Providing & encouraging education and training about late life issues
  • Publicising the importance of psychological issues in how we age 
  • Supporting members at local, national and international levels 

Get in touch

The first point of contact for any queries regarding the work of the DCP Faculty of the Psychology of Older People should be the Member Network Services Team.

Contact the Member Networks Team

Geographical Groups

  • East Anglia
  • Essex and Hertfordshire
  • North East
  • North Thames
  • North Wales
  • North West
  • Northern Ireland
  • Oxford
  • Scotland
  • South Thames
  • South Wales
  • South Western
  • Trent
  • Wessex
  • West Midlands
  • Yorkshire and Humberside
DCP Faculty of the Psychology of Older People

News

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DCP Faculty of the Psychology of Older People

Events

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Resources 

Useful links

 

Workstreams

Dementia – Psychosocial Interventions

Dementia - MCI

Recent publications

  • Blatchford, L. & Cook, J. (2020). Patient Perspectives about Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review, Clinical Gerontologist, DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2020.1805536 Access: https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2020.1805536
  • Reichelt, K., Birkett-Swan, L.,& Clatworthy, L. (2021) A conceptual history of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and its assessment – Part 1: Historical background. FPOP Bulletin, 154, pg. 6 – 10. Access through the BPS shop
  • Clatworthy, L., Birkett-Swan, L., and Reichelt, K. (2021). A conceptual history of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and its assessment – Part 2: Should Mild Cognitive Impairment be considered as a discrete diagnosis? A summary of different perspectives. FPOP Bulletin, 154 pg. 11 – 13 .
  • Birkett-Swan, L., Reichelt, K. and Clatworthy, L. (2021). A conceptual history of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and its assessment – Part 3: Proposing a single criteria for MCI. FPOP Bulletin, 154 pg. 14 – 17

Planned activites:

  • Special edition FPOP Bulletin (aimed for Jan 2023)
  • Special interest webinar (aimed for 2023)
  • Practice briefing paper (aimed 2024)

Working psychologically in older adult inpatient services

Primary Care Psychology and Older People

Outcome Measures

Psychological Therapies and Older People

The Psychological Therapies Workstream was established to ensure a focus on the mental health needs of older people to balance the focus on dementia care.

The work is led by Polly Kaiser, Natasha Lord and Kathryn Dykes with the support and expertise of many colleagues across professions nationally.

Please contact [email protected] or [email protected] for further information.

The aim is to shine a light on the psychological and mental health needs of older people and lead on the advancement of evidence based psychological therapies in this area.

The focus in England on the NHS Long Term Plan and Community Mental Health Transformation has shaped the focus of this workstream in recent years. 

There are lots of great resources on the Future NHS platform, free registration is required. 

Diversity

Neurodegenerative conditions

Workstream Lead - Jane Simpson

Any queries are welcome on [email protected](link sends e-mail)

Recent publications

Mistry, K., & Simpson, J. (2013). Exploring the transitional process from receiving a diagnosis to living with motor neurone disease. Psychology and Health, 28(8), 939–953.

Simpson, J., McMillan, H., & Reeve, D. (2013). Reformulating psychological difficulties in people with Parkinson’s disease: The potential of a social relational approach to disablism. Parkinson’s Disease, 2013.

Maxted, C., Simpson, J., & Weatherhead, S. (2014). An exploration of the experience of Huntington’s disease in family dyads: An interpretative phenomenological analysis. Journal of Genetic Counseling, 23(3), 339–349.

Simpson, J., Lekwuwa, G., & Crawford, T. (2014). Predictors of quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease: Evidence for both domain specific and general relationships. Disability and Rehabilitation, 36(23), 1964–1970.

Arran, N., Craufurd, D., & Simpson, J. (2014). Illness perceptions, coping styles and psychological distress in adults with Huntington’ s disease. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 19(2), 169–179. 

Simpson, J., & Thomas, C. (2015). Clinical psychology and disability studies: Bridging the disciplinary divide on mental health and disability. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(14), 1299–1304.

Simpson, J., McMillan, H., Leroi, I., & Murray, C. D. (2015). Experiences of apathy in people with Parkinson’s disease: A qualitative exploration. Disability and Rehabilitation, 37(7), 611–619.

Barcroft, R., Simpson, J., & Butchard, S. (2016). Support for practitioners working with people with neurodegenerative disorders. Psychology of Older People: The FPOP Bulletin, 136, 21–28.

Garlovsky, J. K., Simpson, J., Grünewald, R. A., & Overton, P. G. (2016). Impulse control disorders in Parkinson’s disease: Predominant role of psychological determinants. Psychology & Health, 31(12), 1391–1414.

Barcroft, R., & Simpson, J. (2016). Psychological interventions for depression in people with multiple sclerosis. Psychology of Older People: The FPOP Bulletin, 136, 40–47.

Theed, R., Eccles, F. J. R., & Travers, V. (2016). Anxiety and depression in individuals with Parkinson’s disease: perspectives of the nurse specialist. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 12(3), 132–139. 

Warren, E., Eccles, F., Travers, V., & Simpson, J. (2016). The experience of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, 12(6), 288–296.

Garlovsky, J. K., Overton, P. G., & Simpson Paul G. (2016). Psychological predictors of anxiety and depression in Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72(10), 979–998. 

Maltby, J., Dale, M., Underwood, M., & Simpson, J. (2017). Irritability in Huntington’s Disease: Factor Analysis of Snaith’s Irritability Scale. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, 4(3), 342–348.

Regan, L., Preston, N. J., Eccles, F. J. R., & Simpson, J. (2017). The views of adults with neurodegenerative diseases on end-of-life care: a metasynthesis. Aging & Mental Health, 1–9.

Theed, R., Eccles, F., & Simpson, J. (2017). Experiences of caring for a family member with Parkinson’s disease: a meta-synthesis. Aging & Mental Health, 21(10), 1007–1016.

Regan, L., Preston, N. J., Eccles, F. J. R., & Simpson, J. (2018). The views of adults with Huntington’s disease on assisted dying: A qualitative exploration. Palliative Medicine, 32(4), 708–715.

Zarotti, N., Simpson, J., Fletcher, I., Squitieri, F., & Migliore, S. (2018). Exploring emotion regulation and emotion recognition in people with presymptomatic Huntington’s disease: The role of emotional awareness. Neuropsychologia, 112, 1–9.

Theed, R., Eccles, F. J. R., & Simpson, J. (2018). Understandings of psychological difficulties in people with the Huntington’s disease gene and their expectations of psychological therapy. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 91, 216-232.

Simpson, J., Chatzidamianos, G., Perpetuo, L., Fletcher, I., & Eccles, F.J.R. (2018). A new scale measuring adaptive perceived control for people with Parkinson's: initial construction and further validation. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 391, 77-83

Zarotti, N., Simpson, J., & Fletcher, I. (2019). “I have a feeling I can’t speak to anybody’: A thematic analysis of communication perspectives in people with Huntington’s disease. Chronic Illness, 15, 61-73. 

Zarotti, N., Fletcher, I., & Simpson, J. (2019). New perspectives on emotional processing in people with symptomatic Huntington’s disease: impaired emotion regulation and recognition of emotional body language. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 34, 610-624.

Simpson, J., Theed, R., Dale, M., Gunn, S., Zarotti, N., & Eccles, F.J.R. (2019). A critical scoping review of the concept of irritability in Huntington’s disease. Cortex, 120, 353-374.

Moore, J., Eccles, F.J.R., & Simpson, J. (in press – available online). Post-diagnostic lived experiences of individuals with essential tremor. Disability and Rehabilitation.

FPOP Bulletin

The FPOP Bulletin is the primary publication of the Faculty for the Psychology of Older People.

A new edition of the bulleting is published four times a year.

Older people enjoying each other's company in a care home
  • Periodicals

How to organise the FPOP conference! - FPOP Bulletin: Psychology of Older People

Volume: 1 Issue: 165

Author(s): Carolien Lamers

Faculty of the Psychology of Older People
  • Periodicals

Developing collective therapeutic documents with people living alongside dementia in an NHS context - FPOP Bulletin: Psychology of Older People

Volume: 1 Issue: 165

Author(s): Asesha Morjaria-Keval

Faculty of the Psychology of Older People
  • Periodicals

Bill Downes winner - FPOP Bulletin: Psychology of Older People

Volume: 1 Issue: 165

Author(s): Anna Crabtree

Faculty of the Psychology of Older People
  • Periodicals

Supporting care homes with behaviour that challenges: A psychosocial approach - FPOP Bulletin: Psychology of Older People

Volume: 1 Issue: 165

Author(s): Amber Scotting, Lewis Slade

Faculty of the Psychology of Older People
  • Periodicals

Doing dementia differently: A range of co-produced resources from the IDEAL programme - FPOP Bulletin: Psychology of Older People

Volume: 1 Issue: 165

Author(s): Catherine Charlwood, Linda Clare

Faculty of the Psychology of Older People

Committee

Chair: Natasha Lord

Past Chair (Deputy Chair): Rebecca Dow

Chair-Elect: Vacant

Honorary Secretary: Anna Buckell

Honorary Treasurer: Carolien Lamers (until December 2023) / Sarah Johnson (from January 2024)

Geographical Group Liaison Officer: Angela Smith

Media and Website Liaison Officer: Gemma Graham

Committee Members:

  • Alan Hogarth
  • Carolien Lamers
  • Katharina Reichelt
  • Kathryn Dykes
  • Polly Kaiser
  • Rebecca Poz
  • Richard Cheston

Bulletin Editors:

  • Anna Crabtree
  • Catriona Craig

Representatives

DCP Pre-Qualification Representative: Rosemary Sibley

Northern Ireland Representative: Frances Duffy

Scotland Representative: Vacant

Wales Representative: Vacant

Division of Neuropsychology Representatives:

  • Frances Duffy
  • Rebecca Poz

If you would like to apply for any vacant positions, please complete a Statement of Interest form.

If you would like to find out if there are any other positions available, please contact the Member Networks Team.

Join

Apply to join the faculty (students, affiliates, e-subscribers)

Apply to join the faculty (graduate, chartered, and in-training members)

Membership of the Faculty of the Psychology of Older People is only open to members of the British Psychological Society.

There are three grades of faculty membership:

  • Full membership

    For psychologists who are Full Members of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) and who work in or have an interest or expertise in the field of psychology of older people.

  • Affiliate membership

    For psychologists who are General (Pre-Training) and In-Training members of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP). Affiliate members may take part in discussions but may not vote.

  • Associate membership

    For General members of the Division of Clinical Psychology (DCP) and non-Division members. Associate members may take part in discussions but may not vote.

If you are not already a member, you can join the faculty at the same time as applying for membership of the society.

Apply to join the society

Benefits of belonging

Benefits of DCP Faculty for the Psychology of Older People membership

Membership of the faculty provides access to several benefits including:

  • an annual conference
  • briefing papers and guidance documents
  • a regular newsletter

Member Announcement Email List

The Faculty for the Psychology of Older People uses its membership announcement email list to inform its members of activities and initiatives that are relevant to their interests and to make requests for engagement on topical issues. 

By becoming a member of the Faculty you are automatically added to the announcement list.

To receive these emails you will need to:

  1. become a member of the Faculty for the Psychology of Older People
  2. opt into receiving email communication and provide a working email address

These preferences can be updated by logging into your member portal.

If you have any queries, please contact Member Network Services.

To assist us in responding to your query please make sure to include your membership number and quote 'Faculty for the Psychology of Older People announcement email' in the subject line.

Getting involved with the Faculty for the Psychology of Older People

The Faculty for the Psychology of Older People relies on a wide range of people getting involved, and the work of the Faculty is largely achieved through the dedication of unpaid volunteers.

Our volunteers come from a wide range of different backgrounds, whether they be practitioners or academics, or full members or in-training members, and together form an open and inclusive community.