Children of Divorce: A Practical Guide for Parents, Attorneys and Therapists

This impressive little book truly lives up to its title. Dr. Bernet is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who is a professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. His co-author Judge Ash has extensive family court involvement and has pioneered the use of “parenting plans” in Tennessee courts. The authors bring together a thoughtful, pragmatic and well-integrated overview of the impact of divorce, with a solution-focused emphasis. They acknowledge that their primary audience is “parents who are divorcing or already divorced and are hoping to rear their children in a healthy manner” (page 1). As such, this is a concise and easily read work, but the depth of the authors’ experience and wisdom means that this is also a very useful book for the various professionals addressed in their title. Others, such as extended family members and educators, might also find this book helpful.