Normal Family Processes, Third Edition: Growing Diversity and Complexity
"Froma Walsh's work has moved the study of family processes from a deficit approach to an inclusive, strengths perspective that is critical to the teaching of Human Behavior and the Social Environment."--Roberta R. Greene, PhD, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin"This volume is like an exquisite quilt, whose individual sections each can capture our interest and imagination and enlarge our vision. Taken as a whole, the book provides depth, breadth, and a sense of connection to all families in their struggle to grow and persevere in the face of adversity. Enabling us to inhabit and embrace differences in family structures, processes, relationships, behavior, and beliefs, Walsh and her contributors have given the mental health field an especially fitting gift. Our imperative as clinicians and researchers to reclaim an expansive, layered conceptualization of normal families--in the face of an increasingly narrow and divisive right-wing political agenda--is powerfully facilitated by this sweeping book. Graduate students and practitioners in every mental health discipline will gain a new vision of what it means to be a family in the 21st century, and new respect for family resilience as a reliable partner in any therapeutic endeavor."--Evan Imber Black, PhD, Director, Center for Families and Health, Ackerman Institute for the Family"If you think that you are up to date with the changing issues that challenge today's families, read this book and think again! This completely new third edition from Froma Walsh will be exciting for both old-timers and newcomers to family therapy research and practice. The broad and rapidly growing diversity in family life is freshly examined from a systemic perspective. From immigrant families to gay/lesbian families, from behavioral genetics to family social policy, from race to spirituality and beyond, these distinguished authors probe the complex multiplicity of what was once a single model of the family. Truly a great book."--Lyman C. Wynne, MD, PhD"A wonderful antidote to the typical focus on family dysfunction, Normal Family Processes examines what works in families and what makes them resilient. Froma Walsh has found the formula for an indispensable text: the right topics about today's diverse families, and the best authors to address those topics. This classic text grows better with each edition."--William J. Doherty, PhD, Marriage and Family Therapy Program, University of Minnesota"As in previous editions, the great asset of this book is the deep understanding of its editor and authors regarding the many forms of family life existing today. These writers take a strengths perspective as they see the potential for coping found in different types of families. The coverage of each family form is superb and fully up to date in view of recent scholarly findings. The book can serve as a classroom text in graduate and undergraduate courses in either family life or family practice. Practitioners will also rely on this book as the major reference on families."--Charles Garvin, PhD, School of Social Work, The University of Michigan