title: Introduction of a university-based counselling service for  older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite the growing number of older adults in Australia, many do not access counselling, partly because of the lack of trained mental health professionals for older people. This paper describes an innovative solution for providing counselling services to older adults, and geropsychology training to postgraduate psychology students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A university-based counselling clinic for older adults was described – an outreach service for older adults living in the community or in residential aged care facilities in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over its first 13 months, the clinic provided a total of 266 sessions of counselling to 57 clients (41 living in residential aged care), and involved six postgraduate students.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper describes the potential benefits of the clinic for clients and students and the resources needed to support this model of service delivery. Thus, it provides a blueprint for other universities for developing similar services for older adults.
authors.forename: Sunil S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bhar
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silver
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014739:Victoria