Understanding and Treating Contemporary Families

Written for researchers, practitioners, and students in advanced courses, this book furthers our understanding of the complexity of contemporary families. Seven types of families are the focus of this book, based on the research available and the challenges they present for mental health professionals. The family forms discussed are • Adoption • Foster care • Interracial families • Family members with special needs (with a focus on autism) • Families with LGBTQ members • Grandparent-headed Families • Family members with chronic medical conditions The volume establishes an innovative format that fits the new age of evidence-based practice. Each chapter is written by a collaborative team of authors consisting of researchers and practitioners. The former address the prevalence and characteristics of the family form and then present the research findings most relevant to clinical practice; the latter use this as the foundation for their portion of the chapter, in which they discuss strategies for good therapeutic intervention, representing a true integration of science and practice. Readers learn about relevant research findings regarding each family described, as well as gain explicit instruction and case material for which to augment therapeutic efforts with these populations.

Scott Browning is Professor of Professional Psychology at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia. He is a noted authority on psychological treatment with stepfamilies and families on the spectrum.

Kay Pasley is the Norejane Hendrickson Professor Emerita and was Chair of Family and Child Sciences at Florida State University. She is a former Editor of Family Relations , and a recipient of the 2012 Felix Berardo Mentoring Award and whose research addresses remarriage, stepfamilies, and fathering after divorce.