Contemporary Families

“Finally, a book on contemporary families that goes beyond the myth that families still look like Duvall proposed in 1950s. Additionally, the book is a serious attempt to integrate research and practice, excellently written by clinical and research scholars. Equally valuable for both groups, the book is a must read for beginning and advanced family science and therapy students and scholars.” – Volker Thomas,PhD, Professor and Coordinator, Director of Couple and Family Therapy Program, The University of Iowa

“Both novice and seasoned mental health workers will profit from this rich compendium of facts, opinions, and clinical wisdom. The clinical segments provide hands-on advice about how best to connect with different types of families and—even more important—how to avoid common pitfalls in working with them. Practitioners will find these suggestions applicable regardless of the particular “brand” of therapy they espouse. The editors have also made a concerted attempt—rare in the literature—to interleave research and clinical perspectives in a single volume. Thus, this book can serve as a primer, reminder, and reference tool for mental health workers whenever they are faced with members of these unique and fascinating populations.” – Jay Efran, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Temple University

“This volume takes on the critical task of bridging the deplorable disconnection between clinical practice and research. The editors, a leading family research scholar, and a noted authority on treatment of stepfamilies and of families on the spectrum, bring together seven researcher/therapist teams to focus on a number of diverse family forms. The resulting integration makes a unique and important contribution to both sides of the conversation and creates a long over-due and much-needed template for cross-discipline collaboration.” – Patricia L. Papernow, EdD, author of Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships and Becoming aStepfamily; Psychologist; Clinical Instructor in Psychology at Harvard Medical School; Experts Council of the National Stepfamily Resource Center

“After a decade of reading political treatises bemoaning their separation, it is gratifying to see that the actual integration of research and practice has finally begun in earnest. The pairing of chapters on seven types of families is outstanding. This book illustrates a unique way for using research to inform any area of mental health practice.” – Robert-Jay Green, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Clinical Psychology PhD Program, California School of Professional Psychology, San