Counseling today's families

The new edition of COUNSELING TODAY'S FAMILIES is thoroughly revised and updated continuing to use systems-based approach to understanding, assessing, and counseling a variety of today's families. The authors examine current family structures and living arrangements, detail common problem areas from a family systems perspective, and offer intervention guidelines for working effectively with varying family types. Cultural considerations, gender issues, and social context are included for each family pattern to ensure that the coverage in the text does indeed offer a realistic view of families today.

Part 1 Understanding Family Relationships	p. 1
Chapter 1 Counseling Today's Changing Families	p. 3
Today's Families: Some Demographic Notes	p. 6
Marriage and Divorce: Some Current Statistics	p. 10
Family Resiliency	p. 11
Changing Families, Changing Relationships	p. 12
A Family Counseling Sampler	p. 14
Summary	p. 21
Chapter 2 The Family as a Social Unit: Systems Theory and Beyond	p. 23
Behavior in Family Context: Understanding Family Systems	p. 24
Linear and Circular Causality	p. 25
Cybernetics, Feedback Loops, and Homeostasis	p. 27
Open and Closed Systems	p. 30
Subsystems and Boundaries	p. 32
Stability and Change	p. 38
Systems Theory and Family Counseling	p. 39
Systems Theory and Beyond	p. 42
The Self, the Family, and the Community	p. 44
Summary	p. 45
Chapter 3 Appraising Couple and Family Functioning	p. 47
The Appraisal Process	p. 50
The Evaluation Phase	p. 52
The Initial Telephone Contact	p. 53
The Initial Session	p. 55
Mapping Family History and Family Processes	p. 58
The Assessment Phase	p. 65
Couple and Family Measurement Techniques	p. 65
Self-Report Measures	p. 66
The Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems	p. 67
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)	p. 70
Observational Measures	p. 73
The Beavers Systems Model	p. 76
The McMaster Model	p. 78
Summary	p. 79
Chapter 4 Multiple Views of Family Counseling: A Case Study	p. 81
A Variety of Intervention Models	p. 82
The Experiential Model	p. 84
The Transgenerational Model	p. 88
The Structural Model	p. 91
Strategic Models	p. 93
The Milan Model	p. 95
Social Constructionist Models	p. 96
Summary	p. 98
Chapter 5 Intervening in Troubled Couple and Family Relationships	p. 99
Evidence-Supported Guidelines: The Use of Treatment Manuals	p. 99
Tailoring Techniques to Couples and Families	p. 101
Tailoring by Diagnosis	p. 102
Tailoring by Level of Relational Conflict	p. 102
Tailoring by Level of Family Functioning	p. 103
Marriage and Divorce Counseling	p. 105
Divorce Mediation	p. 114
Summary	p. 117
Part 2 Counseling Families With Varied Lifestyles	p. 119
Chapter 6 Counseling the Single-Parent-Led Family	p. 121
Changing Times: Patterns of Marriage and Divorce	p. 122
The Process of Divorce	p. 124
Living Through Divorce	p. 129
Varieties of Single-Parent Households	p. 131
Teenage Mothers	p. 132
Assessing Single-Parent-Led Families	p. 136
Common Problems in Single-Parent-Led Families	p. 139
The Custodial Parent	p. 140
The Noncustodial Parent	p. 142
The Children	p. 144
Child Custody, Child Support, and Visitation	p. 147
Child Custody Alternatives	p. 149
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 152
Summary	p. 163
Chapter 7 Counseling the Remarried Family	p. 165
Varieties of Remarried Family Structures	p. 168
Stepfamily Living Arrangements	p. 175
The Developmental Stages of Remarriage	p. 180
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 183
Common Themes and Counselor Tasks	p. 183
Stepfamily Stages and Counselor Interventions	p. 187
Counseling on Multiple Tracks	p. 188
Whom to See and When	p. 192
Psychoeducational Programs	p. 201
Summary	p. 202
Chapter 8 Counseling Cohabiting Heterosexual Adults	p. 207
Changing Mores, Changing Lifestyles	p. 210
The Mythology of Cohabitation	p. 212
Types of Student Cohabitation	p. 213
Adult Cohabitation: Trial Marriage or Substitute Marriage?	p. 218
Assessing Cohabiting Couples	p. 223
Counseling Unmarried Couples	p. 225
Premarital and Remarital Counseling	p. 226
PREPARE: A Premarital Inventory	p. 229
Summary	p. 234
Chapter 9 Counseling Gay Male and Lesbian Families	p. 237
Some Basic Concepts and Terminology	p. 240
Being Gay in a Nongay World: The Coming-Out Process	p. 243
Gays and Lesbians: Similarities and Differences	p. 246
Assessing Gay and Lesbian Couples	p. 249
Achieving a Gay Identity	p. 251
Sexuality and the AIDS Epidemic	p. 253
Gay and Lesbian Parenting	p. 254
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 260
HIV and AIDS Counseling	p. 265
Summary	p. 269
Part 3 Counseling Families with Special Circumstances	p. 271
Chapter 10 Counseling the Dual-Career Family	p. 273
Dual-Career Marriages: Balancing Work and Family Life	p. 277
Conceptualizing the Dual-Career Lifestyle	p. 278
Professional Women in Dual-Career Marriages	p. 279
Changing Domestic Role Patterns	p. 282
Sources of Stress in Dual-Career Lifestyles	p. 284
Commuter Marriages	p. 291
Adaptational Strategies and Family Systems	p. 295
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 297
Summary	p. 303
Chapter 11 Counseling Ethnically Diverse Minority Families	p. 307
Counseling African American Families	p. 313
Powerlessness and the African American Experience	p. 314
Racism, Discrimination, and the Victim System	p. 315
Family Structure and Kinship Networks	p. 317
Socialization Experiences and Male-Female Relationships	p. 320
Special Aspects of African American Family Life	p. 322
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 323
Counseling Hispanic American Families	p. 326
Family Structure: The Role of the Extended Family	p. 327
Acculturation and Ethnic Identity	p. 329
Sex-Role Issues in Hispanic Cultures	p. 333
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 334
Counseling Asian/Pacific American Families	p. 337
Cultural Transitions	p. 338
Family Structure and Responsibilities	p. 341
Values, Beliefs, Obligations	p. 345
Some Counseling Guidelines	p. 346
Summary	p. 349
Glossary	p. 352
References	p. 359
Name Index	p. 388
Subject Index	p. 395

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