The Science of Healthy Aging
An older client arrives flat, foggy, sleeping poorly and worried about their memory. You can treat the low mood, and you should. What tends to get missed is that the mood, the fog and the memory complaint often share an upstream cause, and that working there gets you further than working on any one of them on its own.
John Arden’s position is that behaviour does most of the deciding. There is no depression gene. What there is instead is gene expression that responds to what someone eats, how they sleep, whether they move, and whether they are still learning anything difficult. Two people the same age can look a decade apart, and very little of that gap is written into their DNA. He organises the practices that matter into a mnemonic he calls SEEDS, and he is honest that some of it is awkward to raise with a client who is already struggling.
Three hours covering epigenetics, energy production at the cellular level, sleep architecture and what breaks it, chronic inflammation, the memory systems and their different vulnerabilities, and what the research points to as contributing to dementia rather than what tends to get blamed. It closes on how to have this conversation with a client so it lands as something they can act on instead of a list of things they have got wrong.
You’ll walk away with
- A clear line between the decline that comes with age regardless and the decline that can be slowed, so clients get an honest picture instead of false hope or resignation
- An explanation of gene expression that works in session, including why there is no depression gene and what the research on early attachment and stress tolerance actually shows
- The reason energy production at cellular level sits upstream of mood, memory and cognition, in language a client can follow
- The SEEDS framework, and what each element asks of a client in practical terms
- What the research points to as contributing to dementia, including the work on sedating sleep medications and on sleep apnoea
- How sleep architecture changes with age, why deep slow wave sleep matters most, and the ordinary things that block it, body temperature and bedding among them
- The case for aerobic exercise before cognitive work, and why an older client who walks before a session often gets more out of it
- The cognitive reserve argument for continued learning, and why the learning has to be slightly uncomfortable before it builds anything
- The difference between the implicit and explicit memory systems, which one ages worse and what that means for what you ask a client to recall
- A way to raise diet, alcohol and inactivity with an older client that does not land as blame
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CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. This course is included with your Tatra Training membership, along with every other course in the library.
Course Duration: 3 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records. Your certificates are yours to keep.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Revisit Anytime: Come back to the course as often as you like while your membership is active, whenever you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
Practitioners seeking to deepen their understanding of why therapeutic interventions create lasting change - and those curious about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying successful therapy - can enhance their clinical effectiveness by integrating neuroscience with established therapeutic approaches. John Arden has spent over 40 years pioneering the integration of neuroscience and psychotherapy, becoming one of the world's leading authorities on an integrative approach and helping thousands of practitioners understand how to leverage neuroplasticity and neurogenesis for more effective treatment outcomes.
As former Northern California Regional Director of Training at Kaiser Permanente for 25 years, where he developed one of the largest mental health training programs in the United States overseeing 150+ interns and postdoctoral residents, Dr. Arden brings unparalleled expertise in training mental health professionals. His 16 books translated into 20 languages - including Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward Psychotherapy Integration, Rewire Your Brain 2.0, and Brain-Based Therapy with Adults - represent the definitive resources for understanding how neuroscience transforms clinical practice. His Choice Outstanding Academic Book Award and recognition as one of the most entertaining and integrative speakers in professional psychology reflect his unique ability to make complex concepts immediately applicable.
Dr. Arden's expertise spans integration, neuroplasticity and neurogenesis applications, metabolic, psychoneuroimmunology, epigenetics, mindfulness-based interventions, and nutritional neuroscience. His approach synthesises evidence-based practice with cutting-edge neuroscience research, showing clinicians how psychotherapy literally rewires the brain. He specialises in anxiety disorders, OCD, PTSD, depression, and memory improvement, with particular focus on how therapeutic relationships activate neuroplastic change and how lifestyle factors influence brain health and therapeutic outcomes.
What sets his training apart is scientific rigor combined with practical application. Arden doesn't just teach neuroscience theory - he shows practitioners exactly how body-brain systems influence therapeutic success and failure. His seminars in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries demonstrate his exceptional ability to translate complex neuroscience into immediately usable clinical strategies that enhance existing therapeutic modalities.
For your practice, expect to gain specific integrative interventions that enhance treatment outcomes, tools for educating clients about their neurological processes, and frameworks for integrating neuroscience principles with your current therapeutic approach. His methods particularly benefit clinicians wanting to understand why their interventions work, those seeking to enhance treatment efficacy, or practitioners interested in cutting-edge therapeutic applications.
Quick Win: Arden's "SEEDS" formula (Social connection, Exercise, Education, Diet, Sleep) provides clients with five evidence-based lifestyle interventions that promote neuroplasticity - often creating measurable improvements in mood and cognitive function while supporting therapeutic progress.
Qualifications
- Ph.D., Psychology, University of New Mexico, 1980–1984
- Post-License Training, Neuropsychology, California School of Professional Psychology, 1987–1988
- M.A., Counseling Psychology, Northern Arizona University, 1975–1976
- B.S., Social Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 1969–1973
- Over 40 years experience in psychology
Authored Books (16 total, translated into 20 languages)
- Mind-Brain-Gene: Toward Psychotherapy Integration (2019)
- Rewire Your Brain 2.0 (updated edition)
- Brain2Brain (2015, practical neuroscience for psychotherapy)
- The Brain Bible (comprehensive guide to brain-based approaches)
- Brain-Based Therapy: Adults (co-author with Lloyd Linford)
- Brain-Based Therapy: Children & Adolescents (co-author with Lloyd Linford)
- Conquering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (co-author with Victoria Beckner)
- The Brain-Based Anxiety Workbook, The Brain-Based OCD Workbook
- Improving Your Memory for Dummies
Professional Experience
- Author 1996–present
- International Trainer & Speaker, Integrative Approaches, 2009–present
- Northern California Regional Director of Training, Kaiser Permanente, 1999–2016 (26+ years)
- Chief Psychologist, Kaiser Permanente (prior to 1999)
- Supervisor, Mental Health Practitioners, Kaiser Permanente
- Seminars conducted in all 50 U.S. states and 30 countries worldwide
Clinical Specialties
- Integration of neuroscience and evidence-based psychotherapy
- Neuroplasticity and neurogenesis applications in treatment
- Psychoneuroimmunology and epigenetic factors in therapy
- Brain-based approaches to anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and depression
- Memory improvement and cognitive enhancement
- Mindfulness and nutritional neuroscience
- Lifestyle interventions for brain health
Ready to revolutionise your therapeutic effectiveness through neuroscience? Discover how Dr. Arden's integrative approach can help you understand exactly why your interventions work and how to leverage neuroplasticity for faster, more lasting client change.
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This course includes:
- Lessons 2
- Topics 0
- Duration 3 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English