Contents -- Foreword -- Preface -- 1. Strengthening the Fabric of Life -- The Therapeutic Role of Guided Autobiography -- Contributing to Human Development -- Integration and Fulfillment -- Contributing to the Family -- Contributing to Cognitive Functioning -- Releasing Motivation -- Adapting to New Roles in the Later Years -- Reconciling Life and Accepting Death -- 2. Leading a Guided Autobiography Group -- The Guided Autobiography Process -- Leadership for a Guided Autobiography Group -- Creating the Group -- Fostering Group Participation -- The Logistics of Meetings -- 3. The Healing Power of the Group -- Developmental Exchange -- Mutual Acceptance and Support -- Interpersonal Relations -- Social Gains for Older Adults -- So, Why Write? -- 4. The Importance of Guiding Themes -- Emotional Saliency and Life Themes -- The Use of Sensitizing Questions -- 5. Successful Themes and Sensitizing Questions -- 6. Encouraging Creativity and Divergent Thinking -- Creativity and the Older Adult -- Conquering the Fear of Writing -- The Use of Self-descriptive Words -- The Use of Metaphors -- The Use of Poetry -- Experimenting with Other Senses -- The Use of Puppets -- 7. Mastering Potential Obstacles in the Group Process -- Overenrollment -- Counterproductive Group Members -- Signs of Depression and What to Do -- Ensuring Institutional Support -- 8. The Next Steps after Guided Autobiography -- A Continuous Search for Meaning -- Exploring Publishing Interest and Potential -- Other Writing Experiences -- Creating a Legacy -- Guided Autobiography and Medusa's Head -- 9. A Professional's Guide to the Literature, and Implications for Future Research -- Who Writes Autobiographies? -- The Uses of Autobiographical Accounts in Research -- The Current Uses and Potential for Future Research -- References -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K.

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