Written by contributors from around the world, The International Handbook of Stepfamilies: Policy and Practice in Legal, Research, and Clinical Environments is a collection of research, legal, and clinical recommendations that fills a growing need for complex, re-formed families. Using the information in this book, which includes contemporary research and its implications, you will be able to consider stepfamilies in an international context. Understand the issues that clinicians face when they work with stepfamilies, both before and after formation, and gain more knowledge about this topic as the rates of family reformation increase.

Research on the family has expanded considerably across Asia but studies tend to be fragmented, focusing on narrow issues within limited areas (cities, towns, small communities) and may not be accessible to international readers. These limitations make it difficult for researchers, students, policy makers, and practitioners to obtain the information they need. The Routledge Handbook of Families in Asia fills that gap by providing a current and comprehensive analysis of Asian families by a wide range of experts in a single publication. The thirty-two chapters of this comparative and multi-disciplinary volume are organized into nine major themes: conceptual approaches, methodological issues, family life in the context of culture, family relationships across the family life cycle, issues of work and income, stress and conflict, family diversity, family policy and laws, and environmental setting of homes. Each chapter examines family life across Asian countries, studying cultural similarities and differences and exploring how families are changing and what trends are likely to develop in the future. To provide a fruitful learning experience for the reader, each chapter offers examples, relevant data, and a comprehensive list of references. Offering a complete interdisciplinary overview of families in Asia, the Handbook will be of interest to students, academics, policy makers and practitioners across the disciplines of Asian Studies, Sociology, Demography, Social Work, Law, Social Policy, Anthropology, Geography, Public Health and Architecture.

With a synthesis of research on issues key to understanding family interaction, as well as an analysis of many theoretical and methodological choices made by researchers studying family communication, the Handbook serves to advance the field by reframing old questions and stimulating new ones. The contents are comprised of chapters covering: theoretical and methodological issues influencing current conceptions of family; research and theory centering around the family life course communication occurring in a variety of family forms individual family members and their relationships dynamic communication processes taking place in families family communication embedded in social, cultural, and physical contexts. Key changes to the second edition include: updates throughout, providing a thorough and up-to-date overview of research and theory new topics reflecting the growth of the discipline, including chapters on "singles" as family members, emerging adults, and physiology and physical health. Highlighting the work of scholars across disciplines--communication, social psychology, clinical psychology, sociology, family studies, and others--this volume captures the breadth and depth of research on family communication and family relationships. The well-known contributors approach family interaction from a variety of theoretical perspectives and focus on topics ranging from the influence of structural characteristics on family relationships to the importance of specific communication processes.

A thorough exploration of the critical topics and issues facing family communication researchers today The Sage Handbook of Family Communication provides a comprehensive examination of family communication theory and research. Chapters by leading scholars in family communication expand the definition of family, address recent shifts in culture, and cover important new topics, including families in crisis, families and governmental policies, social media, and extended families. The combination of groundbreaking theories, research methods, and reviews of foundational and emerging research in family communication make this an invaluable resource that explores the critical topics and issues facing family communication researchers today.

In many Western societies, there has been a tremendous increase in family diversity over the course of the past few decades, resulting in a considerable prevalence of non-traditional family forms. The increased instability of marital and non-marital unions entails new challenges for both parents and children. In this special issue, family studies scholars from different disciplines examine from a life course perspective how re-partnering processes work and how family relationships are rearranged in order to adapt to the altered needs and requirements of post-separation family life.

Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships draws on current research, a wide variety of clinical modalities, and thirty years of clinical work with stepfamily members to describe the special challenges stepfamilies face. The book presents the concept of "stepfamily architecture" and the five challenges it creates, and delineates three different levels of strategies—psychoeducation, building interpersonal skills, and intrapsychic work—for meeting those challenges in dozens of different settings. The model is designed to be useful both to stepfamily members themselves and to a wide variety of practitioners, from a highly trained clinician who needs to know how and when to work on all three levels, to a school counselor or clergy person who may work on the first two levels but refer out for level three. It will also be useful to educators, judges, mediators, lawyers and medical personnel who will practice on the first level, but need to understand the other two to guide their work.

The third edition of Handbook of Marriage and the Family describes, analyzes, synthesizes, and critiques the current research and theory about family relationships, family structural variations, and the role of families in society. This updated Handbook provides the most comprehensive state-of-the art assessment of the existing knowledge of family life, with particular attention to variations due to gender, socioeconomic, race, ethnic, cultural, and life-style diversity. The Handbook also aims to provide the best synthesis of our existing scholarship on families that will be a primary source for scholars and professionals but also serve as the primary graduate text for graduate courses on family relationships and the roles of families in society. In addition, the involvement of chapter authors from a variety of fields including family psychology, family sociology, child development, family studies, public health, and family therapy, gives the Handbook a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary framework.

This is the first book to provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary overview of evidence-based relationship and marriage education (RME) programs. Readers are introduced to the best practices for designing, implementing, and evaluating effective RME programs to better prepare them to teach clients how to have healthy intimate relationships. Noted contributors from various disciplines examine current programs and best practices, often by the original developers themselves. Readers learn to critically appraise approaches and design and implement effective, evidence-based programs in the future. Examples and discussion questions encourage readers to examine issues and apply what they have learned. The conceptual material in Parts I & II provides critical guidance for practitioners who wish to develop, implement, and evaluate RME programs in various settings. Chapters in Parts III & IV follow a consistent structure so readers can more easily compare programs-- program overview and history, theoretical foundations, needs assessment and target audience, program goals & objectives, curriculum issues, cultural Implications, evidence based research and evaluation, and additional resources. This book reflects what the editor has learned from teaching relationship development and family life education courses over the past decade and includes the key information that students need to become competent professionals. Highlights of the book’s coverage include: Comprehensive summary of effective evidence-based RME training programs in one volume. Prepares readers for professional practice as a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) by highlighting the fundamentals of developing RME programs. Describes the challenges associated with RME program evaluation. The book opens with a historical overview of RME development. It is followed by 20 chapters divided in six parts. The initial four chapters focus on fundamentals of relationship and marriage education --program development, required training, delivery systems, and implementation. The three chapters in Part II consider important conceptual and theoretical frameworks used in RME. Part III considers best practices in inventory based programs while Part IV examines six skills-based programs. The chapters in Parts III and IV consider program overview and history, theoretical foundations, needs assessment and target audience, program goals and objectives, curriculum issues, cultural implications, evidence-based research & evaluation, and additional resources. This content covers four categories of effective programs -- design and content, relevance, delivery and implementation, and assessment and quality assurance. Part V presents evidence-based RME with diverse groups and Part VI reviews future directions. Intended for use in advanced undergraduate or graduate courses in relationship and marriage education, family life education, marriage and relationship counseling/therapy, intimate relationships, relationship development, or home/school/community services taught in human development and family studies, psychology, social work, sociology, religion, and more, this ground-breaking book also serves as a resource for practitioners, therapists, counselors, clergy members, and policy makers interested in evidence based RME programs and those seeking to become Certified Family Life Educators or preparing for a career in RME.

This new book reviews the most current global research and highlights the challenges, possibilities, and dynamics of stepfamily households. It describes their formation, their experiences, and the factors that help them thrive. International and cultural differences are highlighted throughout along with issues of class, gender, and religion. Nontraditional stepfamilies such as those headed by same-sex families are also explored along with clinical and legal issues. Engagingly written with numerous vignettes and examples, each chapter features objectives, an introduction, boldfaced key terms, summary, list of key terms, discussion questions, exercises, and additional text and web resources. The book concludes with a glossary. Highlights of coverage include: The history, diversity, and demography of stepfamilies (ch. 1). Frameworks for thinking about stepfamilies (ch. 2). The impact of race and culture on stepfamily dynamics (ch. 3). Stepfamily formation including the role of cohabitation and lone parenting (ch.4). The wellbeing of adults in stepfamilies including resident and nonresident parents (ch.5). Relationships in stepfamilies including those between adults, between adults and children, and between siblings (chs. 6 & 7). Children’s wellbeing in stepfamilies, and factors that help explain outcomes (ch. 8). The importance of intergenerational relationships (ch.9). Stepfamilies headed by sex couples; wellbeing, stigma and legal issues (ch. 10). Factors that promote wellbeing in stepfamilies such as communication patterns, rituals, and flexibility (ch.11). Interventions and therapy, and recent legal and policy issues (chs. 12 & 13). New ways of thinking about stepfamily living (ch. 14). Intended as a core advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate text for courses on stepfamilies or as a supplement for courses on divorce, family studies, introduction to the family, and/or marriage and the family taught in human development and family studies, psychology, sociology, and social work, the book also appeals to those who work with stepfamilies in a counseling or legal setting.

This welcome resource provides concrete examples of how to apply multiple family systems theories and treatment planning to common stepfamily issues. A single stepfamily case study is examined through the lenses of the Adlerian, transgenerational, prescriptive play therapy, structural, cognitive behavior, solution-focused, and narrative models to provide an understanding of the benefits of each approach and how to determine the best fit for a stepfamily's presenting issues. In addition, each chapter examines ethical concerns specific to counseling stepfamilies, issues of diversity, and current research on stepfamily assessment and therapeutic outcomes. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com *To request print copies, please visit the ACA https://imis.counseling.org/store/detail *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to publications@counseling.org