Normal Family Processes

Widely adopted, this valued course text and practitioner guide has expanded the understanding of family normality and healthy functioning in our increasingly diverse society. The editor and contributors are at the forefront of research and clinical training. They describe the challenges facing contemporary families and ways in which clinicians can promote resilience. With consideration of sociocultural and developmental influences, chapters identify key family processes that nurture and sustain strong bonds in couples; dual-earner, divorced, single-parent, remarried, adoptive, and kinship care families; gay and lesbian families; culturally diverse families; and those coping with adversity, such as trauma, poverty, and chronic illness. New to this edition: reflects important research advances and the changing contexts of family life additional chapter topics: kinship care, family rituals, evidence-based assessment, and neurobiology chapters on lesbian and gay families, stepfamilies, gender norms, and spirituality have been fully rewritten.

Edited by Froma Walsh, PhD, MSW, Mose and Sylvia Firestone Professor Emerita, School of Social Service Administration and Department of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago; Codirector, Chicago Center for Family Health, USA

"This volume takes another step forward on the trail that Walsh has blazed in the field of family therapy. It captures the breadth and depth of family life like no other book. This is a great text for graduate courses and a joy to read for experienced professionals." - William M. Pinsof, Northwestern University, Illinois, USA "There is a reason this book is in its fourth edition - it is simply the most definitive text on this topic on the market today. The comprehensive coverage and chapter authors who are leaders in the field have made Normal Family Processes part of the 'collective conscious' of clinicians, students, and faculty who work with families the world over. With new chapters on contemporary topics such as neurobiology, gender norms, and kinship care, this book will continue to be the standard text for clinically focused graduate family development courses." - Sean D. Davis, Alliant International University, California, USA "A classic text retains its relevance! The 'go-to' text on normal family processes has been significantly updated for its fourth edition, reflecting what the editor fittingly refers to as the 'new normal' of families. Therapists in training (or in practice!) will find this an invaluable resource for understanding the varieties of normal family life in our increasingly diverse world." - Wayne H. Denton, Florida State University, USA "The fourth edition of this highly influential work integrates important contemporary knowledge about family functioning and family processes. Walsh is a visionary thinker who has long been at the forefront of conceptualizing and advocating for a competence orientation for understanding families. This volume covers universal family issues (such as relationships, work, neurobiology) as well as specific challenges (such as divorce, illness, immigration). Each chapter balances thoughtful reviews of the literature with translational guidance for family assessment and intervention, making the book a welcome resource for researchers, therapists, and educators." - Anne E. Kazak, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, USA "The book provides an excellent springboard from which to foster student/trainee curiosity and further learning..." - Clinical Social Work Journal "A classic in the clinical literature... Belongs on the shelf (or desk) of every practitioner, teacher, and student in the mental health and social science fields." - The Family Journal "Walsh and her colleagues have framed for us the critical and emerging issues for families in the 21st century. They bravely tackle some of the most thorny and enduring issues in family work, such as family structure, race, class, and sexual orientation, among others. Each chapter is well-conceived, steeped in the most current scholarship, and offers essential knowledge for students, clinicians, and researchers alike. The chapter material - whether theoretical, conceptual, and/or empirical - can be applied immediately in clinical intervention with families. This book offers an excellent foundation for further study