Meet Regina Koepp | Clinical Geropsychologist & Founder of the Center for Mental Health & Aging

We had the good fortune of connecting with Regina Koepp and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Regina, how does your business help the community?
Hi there. I’m Dr. Regina Koepp. I’m a clinical geropsychologist and founder of the Center for Mental Health & Aging. I am building a business to ensure that older adults get the mental health care they need. Because when older adults have the mental health care they need, there is less suffering.

The Center for Mental Health and Aging aims to improve mental health care for older adults by:
1. providing evidence-based information to older adults and their families in the form of podcasts and blogs,
2. improving access to mental health providers with a national provider directory,
3. providing training to mental health and senior care professionals.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
More than 10 million adults 65 and older have a mental health condition, including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, dementia, etc, that could benefit from mental health treatment. Despite the availability of effective interventions, 66% of older adults are not receiving the mental health care they need. Stigma, lack of information, and difficulty finding mental health providers are some of the reasons older adults are not getting the mental health care they need.

The Center for Mental Health & Aging (CMHA) aims to change this by improving mental health care for older adults by providing:
1. Evidence-Based Information for Older Adults and their Families with practical guides, articles, podcasts, tools, and online courses for helping older adults and families navigate mental health needs.

2. Access to Professionals – We make it easier for older adults to find licensed mental health professionals by offering an online national directory of vetted, licensed geriatric mental health professionals with expertise in dementia evaluation, complex medical conditions, and mental health care of older adults.

3. Training for Professionals – We provide evidence-based, culturally competent and inclusive, continuing education training to mental health, senior care, and healthcare professionals. This helps to ensure that there are enough mental health professionals with specialized training available to meet the mental health needs of older adults.

Truth be told, there was a period at the beginning of building my business, where I struggled with publicly claiming my identity as a psychologist who specializes with older adults. I feared that people would see me as out of touch and no longer cool (i.e., “old”). After much reflection and contemplation, I realized that I, myself, was internalizing the ageist messages that I received about what it means to be an older adult based on how older adults are valued (or devalued) in society. I came to the conclusion that this was, indeed, the very reason that I needed to take a stand. The messages creating fear in me are some of the very messages that keep older adults out of mental health care. It has since become a mission of mine to debunk myths and stereotypes about older adults and to share just how harmful some of these stereotypes actually are to not only older adults… but our own future selves.

Here are 3 common myths about older adults and mental health:

Myth:Depression is normal with aging
Fact: Depression is not a normal part of aging and is highly treatable in older adults

Myth: Older adults can’t benefit from mental health care, afterall, “old dogs can’t learn new tricks”
Fact: Mental health treatment for older adults with depression is just as effective as for younger adults.

Myth: Dementia is normal with aging
Fact: Dementia is NOT a normal part of aging. If you begin to notice signs of memory loss the sooner you can work toward an evaluation and diagnosis underlying these changes the better the outcomes.

I want the “look and feel” of my business to be positive and hopeful. And to convey a message that even in the midst of hardship, people are resilient.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Over the past year and a half, with the pandemic and little kids (I have a 4 and 6 year old), we spend most of our time outside and with any activity that will tire our kids out without boring ourselves to tears.

Here are some of our favorite things to do:

>> Visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens (we’re members)

>> Ride scooters on the beltline (sorry if that was my kid who swerved in front of you last weekend)

>> Eat lunch at Ponce City Market (there’s something for everyone)

>> Go hiking and exploring at Pigeon Hill near Kennesaw Mountain or Red Top Mountain

>> Get out of town and visit a lake (I’ve been wanting to visit Lake Chatuge near Hiawassee, GA)

When the pandemic clears up (please follow CDC guidelines, get vaccinated and wear a mask) and we feel more comfortable indoors again, here’s what we cannot wait to do again:

>> Center for Civil and Human Rights in downtown Atlanta. I love their focus on early education. They have guides for kids of all ages to walk through the museum with. Here’s what they say about student engagement: “We seek to provoke students’ critical thinking about the relevance of history to inspire them to protect human rights in their communities and the wider world” – Yes Please!

>> The High Museum in Midtown. A couple of years ago, they built a really cool children’s area in the High. My husband and I tag-team. One stays with the kids and the other checks out the art. Then we switch.

>> Painted Pin is always a fun night out with activities. I get so bored standing around a bar and am not a big drinker so its great having activities for entertainment.

> Yebo Beach Haus: A childhood friend of mine visited recently and we had a great dinner at Yebo Beach Haus.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom, Bithia Sherman, deserves a special Shoutout. My mom was a single mom with 5 kids and had no support from our dads. My mom struggled with mental health concerns and psychiatric hospitalizations throughout my life. She persevered in her own mental health and wellness and encouraged my brothers and I to do the same. She was the ultimate mental health champion. She taught me that all people deserve equitable mental health care and encouraged me to look for a person’s strength in the midst of vulnerability. She was living proof that experiencing adversity also helps to build resilience. She is the reason I became a psychologist and have built a career on destigmatizing mental health and ensuring that everyone has access to mental health care.

Website: https://www.mentalhealthandaging.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drreginakoepp/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/regina-koepp-psyd-abpp-a83a2825/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drreginakoepp

Other: Psychology of Aging Podcast on itunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/psychology-of-aging-with-dr-regina-koepp/id1504142987