Psychological homecoming: The healthy older adult mode in schema therapy for later life

This paper introduces the concept of homecoming as a normative developmental phenomenon in later life, characterised by a re-emergence of vulnerability and an increased orientation toward attachment, belonging, continuity, and biographical integration. Drawing from clinical work with older adults, and existing theories and frameworks, this article proposes a refined therapeutic construct: the Healthy Older Adult (HOA) mode. This mode represents an integrative self-organisation coordinating vulnerability, competence, narrative coherence, and generativity under conditions of finitude. The paper distinguishes between normative homecoming processes and schema-driven presentations, illustrated through two composite clinical vignettes, and considers clinical implications for assessment and intervention. The framework is offered as a theoretical and reflective contribution intended to inform clinical understanding and stimulate future research on later-life development within schema therapy.