Abstract

Guest Editorial Their Past Gives Our Present Meaning-Their Dreams Are Our Future Group work with the aging and their preciate the value of identifying themes in Participants’ lives. Core values emerge, and caregivers yields many benefits for the par- ticipants, and rewards for the counselor. The we are better able to find themes in our own benefits for participants include (a) experienc- lives. We see the worn roads of participants’ lives, and learn to follow their pathways to ing support from sharing common experiences, meaning. Participants give us courage and concerns, and losses, (b) restoring or maintain- hope, and they dispel our myths about grow- ing social interaction, (c) creating a Sense of ing old. We have fun. and enjoy the stories of community and belonging, (d) developing new ways of coping, (e) discovering the importance previous eras. Finally, group work with the aging be- of one’s uniqueness, (9 resolving issues in pre- stows combined gifts shared by both the vious life stages to increase hope and ego in- tegrity, (8) finding order and affirmation in pat- counselors and participants. We all terns of lives. and (h) discovering central achieve a sense of continuity without end. meanings in previously