Normal Family Processes Growing Diversity and Complexity

Widely adopted, this valued course text and practitioner guide has expanded our understanding of the diversity and complexity of "normal" families today. Froma Walsh and her contributing authors are at the forefront of family systems research and clinical training. They describe the challenges facing contemporary families and ways in which clinicians can promote well-being and resilience. Thoroughly revised and updated to reflect important research advances and the changing contexts of family life, the fourth edition covers new topics including evidence-based assessment, neurobiology, kinship care, and family rituals. The introductory section by Walsh surveys emerging trends in family life; critically examines views of family normality, health, and dysfunction; and provides a strengths-based framework for clinical practice. Subsequent sections present cutting-edge research on varied family structures and sociocultural and developmental contexts, highlighting implications for assessment and intervention. The book identifies processes that nurture and sustain strong bonds in couples; dual-earner, divorced, single-parent, and remarried families; gay and lesbian families; and adoptive and kinship care families. It discusses how families are influenced by social and economic constraints, changing gender norms, immigration experiences, and spirituality. It examines the multigenerational family life cycle and describes key family processes for coping and resilience, with attention to the normative strains of childrearing as well as major stressors such as trauma, loss, and chronic illness or disability. Rounding out the volume, the final section reviews the state of the science of family assessment and probes genetic and neurobiological interactions with family processes. Shifting the focus from how families fail to how they can succeed, this book is essential reading for therapists and counselors, as well as instructors and graduate students in family therapy, psychology, social work, counseling, nursing, and related fields. It is a uniquely informative and authoritative text for graduate-level courses.