Bystydzienski provides a comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional experiences of intercultural couples, drawing mainly upon in-depth interviews with persons living in domestic partnerships representing a broad spectrum of ethnic, racial, religious, socioeconomic, and national backgrounds.

While cross-cultural relations were once assumed to be inherently problematic, in recent years these couples have increased in both numbers and social acceptance, and there is now a growing awareness of how little we really know about them. Addressing this gap in our knowledge, this book presents 12 chapters focusing on cross-cultural couple formations (i.e., a partner from the U.S. and another from abroad). Highlighting both the struggles and successes of couples, this book challenges the principle of homogamy, helping the reader gain a deeper understanding and respect for intercultural couples. The chapters tackle a broad range of topics and issues, including systemic considerations of the phenomenon of cross-cultural couples, bilingual couples, interfaith relationships, struggles in such couple formations, different methods of approaching solutions, and the use of the internet to meet partners from diverse backgrounds.

In an increasingly global and connected world, marriages between spouses of different countries and cultures are on the rise. Marla Alupoaicei, herself wed to a Romanian, helps couples sort through such issues as food, finances, family, and such “hidden” problems as different understandings of what it means to be “on time.” Marla combines real-life stories with expert perspectives and biblical insight for a helpful guide both for those just starting out on the intercultural adventure – and those in the midst of it. You'll get practical and biblical advice for handling the most common intercultural conflicts, including: Planning your wedding Communication Understanding each other's values Different views of time Agreeing on food Managing finances Intimacy Raising children Handling illness and grief

Marital concord between couples from different racial and ethnic backgrounds is an issue that needs serious attention to bridge the vast chasms. America welcomes people from all over the world. People of all religions and ethnic backgrounds come here to study and migrants arrive here to work. Interracial marriages are common but the radically different background of each couple can create discords and prove to be bumps on the highway of conjugal life. This can have serious repercussions on the offspring and on the couple and their lives as well. This book seeks to investigate how cultural realities can be addressed within intercultural premarital couples counseling. Using a cultural focus approach couples’ stories around their particular culture and relationship were analyzed. Themes related to relationship, family and social ties, and parenting bi-cultural and bi-racial children were examined. Issues of religious and social influence, money, race, ethnicity, extended family, immigration, and biases in family of origin, are explored as are roles and responsibilities, communication, respect, trust, and gender-stereotyping. The book adopts a pastoral theological approach in working towards a deeper understanding of premarital relationships of partners who represent cultural difference and diversity. In conclusion recommendations to therapists and care givers for counseling intercultural couples are made.

Go beyond cookie-cutter therapy and interventions to provide culturally relevant therapy that works for your clients in interracial relationships! With this book, you'll explore an array of relational issues faced by various configurations of interracial couples. Then you'll learn specific intervention strategies for treating these couples in therapy. The first section presents research and theoretical chapters on issues faced by interracial couples who are heterosexual; the second focuses on issues facing racially mixed gay and lesbian couples; and the third provides you with specific interventions to use with couples in interracial relationships. Clinical Issues with Interracial Couples: Theories and Research is an important addition to the collection of any therapist who counts an interracial couple among his or her clients. From the editors: Although interracial couples face challenges related to differences in their racial backgrounds, couple and family theories have had little to say about how to work with these differences. Not all couples are white, married, and heterosexual, and there is a growing understanding that clinical practices based on these assumptions may not be adequate when working with interracial couples. Recognizing the diversity of our clients, the intent of this book is to contribute to more respectful and inclusive clinical practices that can address the treatment issues we face in the first decade of the twenty-first century. The first section of this book examines challenges faced by heterosexual interracial couples, focusing on: how black/white couples experience and respond to racism and how they negotiate the racial and ethnic differences they face in their relationships the significance of raceor lack of itin white women's relationships with black men, with suggestions on how to create a therapeutic space for discussing race without over-determining its significance marriages where one partner is of Latino/a descent and the other of non-Latino/a white descenta pilot study of a rarely investigated population! approaches, interventions, and strategies to use when treating multicultural Muslim couples Hawaii's unusual history of interracial ties and relationships, the common challenges that face interracial couples there, and therapeutic interventions that can benefit them The second section of Clinical Issues with Interracial Couples looks at the issues faced by same-sex interracial couples. Here is a sample of what you'll find: clinical considerations for working with interracial/intercultural lesbian couples pitfalls to avoid in therapy as well as suggestions for a conceptual approach for gay Latino men in cross-cultural relationships The book's final section presents interventions for use with interracial couples. Here you'll find: assessment techniques and interventions geared toward black-white couples information on doing effective therapy with Latino/a-white couples a case study of the therapeutic process as applied to an Asian-American woman married to a white man seven therapists' perspectives on working with interracial couplesfocusing on the historical context of intermarriage, specific concerns and issues that interracial couples experience in their relationships, and the experiences of therapists working with this diverse and challenging client population

This book has the chapters from the Handbook of International and Intercultural Communication, Second Edition relating to the structure and growth of cross-cultural and intercultural communication. With an expanded forward by William Gudykunst it is an invaluable resource for students and lecturers of communications studies

Most traditional couple therapy models are based on the Eurocentric, middle-class value system and are not effective for today′s psychotherapists working in multicultural settings. Multicultural Couple Therapy is the first "hands-on" guide for integrating couple therapy with culture, race, ethnic identity, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, and immigration experiences. The editors and a culturally diverse group of contributors follow a common outline of topics across chapters, related to theory, research, practice, and training. They report on the application of major evidence-based models of couple therapy and demonstrate the integral role played by contextually based values involved in relationships, conflict, and resolution. Key Features Presents a multiperspective approach that focuses on specific cultural issues in couple therapy Creates a cultural context for couples to help readers better understand key issues that affect relationships Features a series of compelling "Case Examples" from the authors′ personal therapeutic experience in treatment with couples from diverse backgrounds Includes "Additional Resource" sections, including suggested readings, films, and Web sites, as well as experiential exercises and topics for reflection Intended Audience This groundbreaking book provides an in-depth resource for clinicians, supervisors, educators, and students enrolled in courses in couple therapy, marriage and family therapy, and multicultural counseling who are interested in how diverse clients define conflicts and what they consider to be functional solutions.

This handbook takes a multi-disciplinary approach to offer a current state-of-art survey of intercultural communication (IC) studies. The chapters aim for conceptual comprehension, theoretical clarity and empirical understanding with good practical implications. Attention is mostly on face to face communication and networked communication facilitated by digital technologies, much less on technically reproduced mass communication. Contributions cover both cross cultural communication (implicit or explicit comparative works on communication practices across cultures) and intercultural communication (works on communication involving parties of diverse cultural backgrounds). Topics include generally histories of IC research, theoretical perspectives, non-western theories, and cultural communication; specifically communication styles, emotions, interpersonal relationships, ethnocentrism, stereotypes, cultural learning, cross cultural adaptation, and cross border messages;and particular context of conflicts, social change, aging, business, health, and new media. Although the book is prepared for graduate students and academicians, intercultural communication practitioners will also find something useful here.

Volume III of The Handbook of Systemic Family Therapy focuses on therapy with couples. Information on the effectiveness of relational treatment is included along with consideration of the most appropriate modality for treatment. Developed in partnership with the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), it will appeal to clinicians, such as couple, marital, and family therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatrists. It will also benefit researchers, educators, and graduate students involved in CMFT.

Grounded in the personal narratives of twenty interracial couples with multiracial children, this volume uniquely explores interracial couples’ encounters with racism and discrimination, partner difference, family identity, and counseling and therapy. It intimately portrays how race, class, and gender shape relationship dynamics and a partner’s sense of belonging. Assessment tools and intervention techniques help professionals and scholars work effectively with multiracial families as they negotiate difference, resist familial and societal disapproval, and strive for increased intimacy. The book concludes with a discussion of interracial couples in cinema and literature, the sensationalization of multiracial relations in mass media, and how to further liberalize partner selection across racial borders.