ABSTRACT
Over the past three decades, we have witnessed a strong professionalization of psychology in mental health care. The development of protocolled treatments, mostly based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, the rise of randomized controlled trials, and the use of routine outcome measures are evidence of this professionalization. In gerontology alike, psychologists have started to develop evidence-based treatments for older adults (Scogin & Shah, 2012) and guidelines for psychological practice with older adults (APA, 2013). This process of professionalization has had its merits: psychology is much better established and recognized nowadays. However, it also comes with costs as the professionalization tended to go hand-in-hand with a focus on a medical model of mental health as the absence of mental illness (Westerhof & Bohlmeijer, 2010).
