Review of Divorce therapy.

Reviews the book, Divorce therapy by Douglas H. Sprenkle (1985). This book is an edited collection of a special issue of the Journal of Psychotherapy and the Family. The stated aim is to provide a "broad-spectrum" coverage of divorce therapy. The emphasis of this collection is to build a theoretical and research foundation for practice. This volume accomplishes both of these objectives. The collection has value to the student and to the practitioner who is looking for an introduction to working with individuals, couples, and families undergoing the transitions accompanying divorce. Those experienced clinicians looking for clinical tools to add to their repertoire will be disappointed. The volume's organizing conceptual model is systemic theory, particularly from a structural perspective which addresses the changing familial structure as a function of divorce. Overall, Divorce Therapy communicates that the difficulty of making the decision to divorce, the impact of the divorce on the entire family system, and the perspective that divorce should be treated in a manner similar to other stressful family transitions which necessitate family restructuring, such as the leaving-home stage in the family life cycle. This volume's limitations do not seriously detract from meeting its objectives. It is successful as a broad-based introduction to divorce from a clinical perspective while providing a unifying theoretical model for conceptualizing the treatment of divorce in the context of the family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Family mediation handbook.

Reviews the book, Family Mediation Handbook by Barbara Landau, Lorne Wolfson, Niki Landau, Mario Bartoletti, and Ruth Mesbur (2000). Family mediation has become increasingly important in recent years as the court system has hied to move away from a litigation-based system of resolving disputes arising from divorce and separation. This volume represents a very important advance in the process of setting standards for this relatively new and complex area of endeavour. This book tries to address the needs of a diverse group of practitioners, ranging from professional who have their roots mainly in legal practice to those whose experience stems mainly from practice with families and family therapy. This book does a good job of attending to an audience made up of professionals from disparate backgrounds. It is a very comprehensive attempt to provide "one-stop shopping" for those interested in or practicing in this area, and does this job well. The price of $85 is probably a bit high for some practitioners, but the book is a good value nonetheless. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Divorce shock: Perspectives on counselling and therapy.

Reviews the book, Divorce shock: Perspectives on counselling and therapy by Adrian R. Tiemann, Bruce L. Danto, and Steve Vinton Gullo. While Divorce shock is subtitled Perspectives on counselling and therapy and thus might lead readers to believe that they would find within it a major source of "how to do it" clinical information--they would be largely disappointed. The book is in fact what it purports to be; a collection of perspectives on divorce, the divorce process, and interventions aimed at recovery from divorce. This is not to say that there is not reference in some instances to very specific clinical information, but its scope and goal is clearly broader than that. It is in this broader arena of identifying, exploring, and in some cases expanding many of the issues related to divorce, both in the individual and societal context, that this volume offers a great deal. The book itself is a collection of fifteen papers, really sixteen counting the very extensive introduction, and I believe it has been well organized in terms of the content of the individual papers and their order of presentation. I believe this book's greatest value to most psychologists may well be perceived by many as its greatest weakness. It provides a variety of perspectives in a manner and from a point of view that is not the everyday fare of most psychologists. It leans heavily on psychoanalytic foundations and lacks specificity that many psychological practitioners might generally desire. As a stimulus to widen our perspectives beyond what becomes in practice often a very narrow focus, I believe the book Divorce shock overall to be a valuable addition to the literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Divorced families: A multidisciplinary developmental view.

Review of Divorced families: A multidisciplinary developmental view (see record 1987-97107-000). This book is intended to provide all professionals working in the context of family issues and transitions with the beginnings of a model of the normal processes of divorce. As such, it is of interest to sociologists, policy makers, lawyers, mediators, researchers, and clinicians such as psychologists and social workers, in fact anyone who is interested in the changing face of the North American family. In general, this is a satisfying and inspiring work. It is comprehensive, covers a difficult and complex area in a systematic and integrated fashion, and suggests a positive health-promoting role for professionals in this field. It is above all highly relevant to a wide range of professionals, in that the process of divorce is viewed as a sociological fact, a personal stressful experience, a crisis of family restructuring, and a phenomenon calling for more empirical research and theoretical model building. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Turning points: Treating families in transition and crisis.

Reviews the book, Turning points: Treating families in transition and crisis by Frank S. Pittman III (see record 1987-97676-000). A masterful, witty, down-to-earth, humorous, and creative psychotherapist, Pittman's artistry as a clinician will make a lasting impression on readers of Turning points. The book demystifies family dynamics and the role of the therapist in the family drama. Thirty-one brief case vignettes illustrate Pittman's approach to families "in transition and crisis." Pittman's intent is to communicate the wisdom he has culled from over twenty-five years as a family therapist. This is an extremely ambitious task. Unfortunately, it is only partially realized in Turning points. Because the author appears to consider virtually any family problem to be transition- or crisis-related, the book's domain is any and all marital or familial concerns that a therapist might confront. By attempting too much and only providing an overview of each problem, the book leaves the reader (particularly the more experienced therapist) hungry for specifics. On the other hand, the book certainly achieves its purpose as a compendium of general strategies for the therapeutic handling of a wide variety of difficult families. It seems best to consider Pittman's theoretical views as diagnostic guideposts for the clinician rather than as explanatory models with predictive value. The book's main appeal lies in its advice to readers who are searching for practical ideas on handling a wide range of family crises. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Continuity & change in marriage & the family.

Reviews the book, Continuity & change in marriage & the family edited by Jean E. Veevers (1991). Dr. Veevers perceived a need for "competent empirical works specifically applicable to the task of describing and understanding Canadian family life." She has filled that need with Continuity & Change in Marriage & the Family, a collection of readings. The book is intended for students in sociology of marriage and family classes as a supplement to textbooks with a theoretical emphasis. Continuity & Change in Marriage & the Family offers the insights of Canadian (and other) scholars about, as Dr. Veevers states, "issues that are directly relevant to the study of marriage and the family in Canada." Because the articles illuminate the condition of families in all post-modern societies, the book has relevance outside Canada. The message of the book is that change, both social and familial, and the acceptance of a variety of family arrangements, has resulted in families that are created by those who live in them. Thus, students should know how to be creative in building and maintaining their personal relationships. It provides students with ideas to consider as they develop as family members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Expressed emotion in families: Its significance for mental illness.

Reviews the book, Expressed emotion in families: Its significance for mental illness by Julian Leff and Christine Vaughn (1985). The authors, Leff & Vaughn, along with George Brown, the originator of the "expressed emotion" concept provide an opportunity to observe their minds at work. In presenting the origins and clinical, theoretical, and research developments focused on the initial observations that high levels of expressed emotions in the families of schizophrenic patients can be debilitating, the volume not only provides a wealth of significant information about schizophrenia and how research ideas are formulated, tested, refined, and retested but also provides significant insights into the thought processes--the intuitions, doubts, and confidences--of the researchers every step of the way. The book is a landmark study of the role of emotional attitudes and their expression by family members in the course and outcome of schizophrenia. From its British origins, the research has sparked heuristic cross-cultural replication and innovations. While the book should be essential reading for every family psychologist and psychotherapist, its main audience will probably be researchers interested in family processes and schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Transitions in Dying and Bereavement: A Psychosocial Guide for Hospice and Palliative Care.

Reviews the book by the Victoria Hospital Society et al (2003), which describes what palliative and bereavement counselors do and how they do it. The specific goal was to examine the psychosocial needs and care of individuals who are dying or bereaved, with the ultimate goal being the improvement of the quality of palliative psychosocial care services. The major strength of the book is the wealth of practical knowledge addressing the needs of dying individuals and their families, particularly if the family members are adults. The sensitive and caring approach described throughout the book gives the reader a great sense of respect for those clinicians who have mastered the art of treating dying individuals and their families with dignity and compassion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system.

Reviews the book, Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system by Melvin R. Lansky (see record 1992-98607-000). Melvin Lansky's riveting book is about fathers who cannot find their way in the world of either love or work, but are driven to self-destructive bonds with others by problems with their "paternal imago." This book addresses the central role of the affect of shame, and the defenses against experiencing it, leading to varieties of "impulsive" symptom formation, disturbing the capacity for sustaining work or love relationships and constantly threatening breakdown of fragile self-esteem. Symptoms are viewed as failed efforts to escape shame through rage and to rigidly regulate optimal distance in family relationships. The attempt throughout is to meld a variety of psychoanalytic perspectives with family systems perspectives. The book is organized into several sections, beginning with an overview entitled Symptom, System and Personality in Fathers Who Fail, followed by The Paternal Imago. Next comes Defenses Against Shame: Narcissistic Equilibrium in the Family System, and then a section on shame and symptom formation. A section entitled Treatment Difficulties completes the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Families and alcoholism: Developments in practice, research, and theory.

Reviews the books, Alcoholism treatment: An integrative family and individual approach by D. I. Davis (see record 1988-97811-000); Substance abuse and family therapy by E. Kaufman (1985); and The alcoholic family by P. Steinglass, L. A. Bennett, S. J. Wolin, and D. Reiss (see record 1987-98538-000). The book by Davis and Kaufman primarily address marital and family therapy (MFT) methods. The Steinglass et al. book presents a long-term, systematic program of theory development and research aimed at understanding the family system dynamics of alcoholic families. Davis provides excellent chapters on strategies for use in identifying and confronting alcohol problems and in getting a commitment from the family to work toward elimination of the problem drinking. The Davis book is an excellent resource; however, family and other therapists reading this book will need other resources for dealing with severe alcoholics, for moving rapidly to attain abstinence, and for dealing with long-term recovery. Kaufman's book is an excellent resource for family therapists wanting to learn more about dealing with alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse and for substance abuse therapists to learn about family therapy. The alcoholic family is an excellent book that will become a classic on this topic. We would recommend it for the serious clinician who wants a theoretical framework to guide decisions about therapeutic approaches with alcoholic families. We recommend all three books quite highly to practicing clinicians. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social learning and systems approaches to marriage and the family.

Reviews the book, Social learning and systems approaches to marriage and the family by R. Dev. Peters and R. J. McMahon (see record 1988-97132-000). The volume aims specifically to address a variety of issues and to highlight areas where an integration of social learning and systems models seems to be occurring. In terms of variety, the editors have succeeded in their goal, with chapters on most of the key issues in the family field such as maternal depression, spouse abuse, divorce, sexual dysfunction, marital conflict and helping families deal with handicapped children. Most of the contributors are able to discuss theory and research pertaining to a particular family problem in an integrated and informative way and to relate these aspects to clinical intervention. This book is essentially a well written, easy to read volume which addresses a variety of family processes and problems and integrates theory, research and clinical practice. This broad scope should ensure that it will appeal to a wide audience in the helping professions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Art therapy with families in crisis: Overcoming resistance through nonverbal expression.

Reviews the book, Art therapy with families in crisis: Overcoming resistance through nonverbal expression, edited by Debra Linesch (see record 1993-97453-000). The aim of this book is to demonstrate the effectiveness of utilizing art therapy within a family therapy context. The editor's explicit intent is "to focus on the nature of the relationship between the art experience and the curative process as it becomes part of treatment intervention." The book contains seven chapters. The first and last chapters are written by the editor. In the first chapter she conceptualizes the "potentially profound connections between the process of making art and the experiences of family therapy" and in the last chapter she summarizes the theoretical framework for the use of family art therapy. Chapters 2 through 6, each written by a different author, provide clinical material and graphic illustrations demonstrating how various forms of art media can become effective tools for enhancing the therapeutic experience. Non-verbal techniques can be productively utilized to tap processes sealed over by defenses such as intellectualization. It remains to be seen whether these techniques can be adapted by the psychotherapist who conducts family therapy but has no previous training in using art therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distress among young adults from divorced families.

Researchers find that most children from divorced families function normally, but some clinicians assert that young people are disturbed even many years after a divorce. These accounts may be less discrepant than they appear, because research typically focuses on notably problematic behavior (disorder), whereas case studies emphasize more subtle inner turmoil (distress). In Study 1 college students reported painful feelings, beliefs, and memories about their parents divorce on a reliable new measure, but they also reported accepting the divorce and having few psychological symptoms. Distress about family life was greater among students from divorced than from married families. Study 2 replicated these findings in a community sample of young people from low-income divorced families. In both studies, greater distress was associated with children's residence, frequency of contact with fathers, interparental conflict, and psychological symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Countertransference in psychotherapy with children and adolescents.

Reviews the book, Countertransference in psychotherapy with children and adolescents edited by Jerrold R. Brandell (see record 1992-97833-000). Books on child analytic work are rare, and books on countertransference in child treatment are basically nonexistent, despite the proliferation of writing on countertransference in work with adults. Thus, Jerrold Brandell's edited volume is a welcome and long-overdue addition to the literature. Although the book is not strictly about analysis, it is analytically informed. Brandell's stated goal is to advance the principle that "countertransference is a ubiquitous factor in child and adolescent treatment, and that its recognition, understanding, and management are essential to effective psychotherapy." This is indeed a worthy if not essential undertaking, and the collection of articles in Brandell's book advances this goal. Brandell prefaced the chapters with his own thorough historical literature review of countertransference in both adult and child work. He then subdivided the book into two sections, with the first containing two classic articles an countertransference and the bulk of the book devoted to the following "scientific situations" in child psychotherapy: racial and cultural issues, depressed and suicidal children and adolescents, infant-family treatment, severely disturbed adolescents, eating disorders, abused children and adolescents, parent loss and divorce, borderline children and adolescents, life-threatening illness, and substance-abusing adolescents. This book is a very good resource for child analysts and therapists, especially those who espouse a more relational or intersubjective point of view. It is suitable both for inexperienced analysts and as a reminder to more seasoned ones of the importance and pervasiveness of countertransference issues in our work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Going Sane: Maps of Happiness.

Reviews the book, Going Sane: Maps of Happiness by Adam Phillips (2005). This book is a kind of psychic travelogue exploring the many different kinds of good life--and pitfalls--to be encountered along the way. It will be of interest to any clinician engaged by a thoughtful examination of what is meant by mental health. The book is divided into three parts, the first offering intellectual and historical background and initial attempts at definition. The last assesses the current psychological climate. The middle section bores deeply into an examination of what the implications of sanity are across several everyday arenas, money and sex being perhaps the most provocative. A preface alerts the reader that this is going to be a multidisciplinary analysis of the subject, contextualized within culture. Phillips establishes early on that although madness has captivated both the professional and the lay imagination for centuries, resulting in often definitive, if oddly subjective and impressionistic ideas of what it means and looks like to be out of one's mind, sanity, by comparison, has failed to enthrall. Sanity, more often than not, remains the desirable choice between the two but functions more as an uneasy default position we don't quite understand than as an accomplishment to be proud of. The security of sanity, Phillips illustrates throughout, is predicated on our not being too curious about it and rests on the positive assertion of the negative, "not mad." Going Sane addresses the question of its meaning and of what use, if any, it has for us today. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)