Religion can play a vital role in the way people relate to each other, particularly with interpersonal dynamics within a family. The role of a couple or family’s religion(s) in the counseling room is no less important. This book provides practitioners with an overview of the principles of the major world religions, with specific focus on how each religion can influence family dynamics, and how best to incorporate this knowledge into effective practice with clients.
Spirituality has long been regarded as "off-limits" in family therapy, leaving therapists and counselors uncertain how to approach it. Filling a crucial void, this valuable sourcebook explores the influences of faith beliefs and practices on suffering, healing, and health. Leading family therapists describe how attending to this vital dimension of human experience can inform and enrich therapy, illuminate spiritual sources of distress, and help clients tap into wellsprings for resilience and growth. Chapters address spirituality not just as a special topic, but as it is interwoven in all aspects of people's lives; from family heritage and congregational affiliations, to belief systems, rituals, and practices. Throughout, therapists are encouraged to examine their own spiritual views and to gain awareness of the diverse faith orientations of clients.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Marriage, Family and Couples Counseling is a new, all-encompassing, landmark work for researchers seeking to broaden their knowledge of this vast and diffuse field. Marriage and family counseling programs are established at institutions worldwide, yet there is no current work focused specifically on family therapy. While other works have discussed various methodologies, cases, niche aspects of the field and some broader views of counseling in general, this authoritative Encyclopedia provides readers with a fully comprehensive and accessible reference to aid in understanding the full scope and diversity of theories, approaches and techniques and how they address various life events within the unique dynamics of families, couples and related interpersonal relationships. Key topics include: Adolescence Adoption Assessment Communication Coping Diversity Divorce and Separation Interventions and Techniques Life Events/Transitions Parenting Styles Sexuality Work/Life Issues, and more Key features include: More than 500 signed articles written by key figures in the field span four comprehensive volumes Front matter includes a Reader’s Guide that groups related entries thematically Back matter includes a history of the development of the field, a Resource Guide to key associations, websites, journals, a selected Bibliography of classic publications, and a detailed Index All entries conclude with References/Further Readings and Cross References to related entries to aid the reader in their research journey
This is the first multidisciplinary text to address the growing scholarly connection between religion and family life. The latest literature from family studies, psychology, sociology, and religion is reviewed along with narratives drawn from interviews with 200 racially, religiously, and regionally diverse families which bring the concepts to life. Written in a thought-provoking, accessible, and sometimes humorous style by two of the leading researchers in the field, the book reflects the authors’ firsthand experience in teaching today’s students about religion’s impact on families. Prior to writing the book, the authors read the sacred texts of many faiths, interviewed religious leaders, and attended religious services for a wide array of faiths. The result is an accurate and engaging account of why and how families are impacted by their religion. The pedagogical features of the text include boldfaced key terms defined in the glossary, text boxes, chapter conclusions, summary points, and review questions. Religion and Families: Examines several denominations within Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Reviews findings from racially and ethnically diverse families, from traditional and diverse family forms, and examines gender and life-course issues. Addresses the impact of one’s religious involvement on longevity, divorce rates, and parenting styles. Considers demographic, family-, couple-, and individual-level data that relate to prayer and other sacred practices. Presents a balanced treatment of the latest research and a new model for studying family and religion. Explores the "whys," "hows," and processes at work in the religion-family connection. The book opens with a discussion of why religion and family connections matter. Chapter 2 defines religion and presents a new conceptualization of religion. Empirical research connections between religion and marriage, divorce, family, and parent-child relationships are explored in chapters 3 through 6. The interface between religion and the family in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are reviewed in chapters 7, 8, and 9. Chapter 10 explores the unique challenges that religion presents for diverse family forms. Prayer as a coping mechanism for life’s challenges such as death and disability are explored in chapter 11. Chapter 12 examines forgiveness in the context of marriages and families. The book concludes with a review of the book’s most important themes and findings. Intended as a text for undergraduate courses in family and religion, the psychology or sociology of the family, the psychology or sociology of religion, pastoral/biblical counseling, or family and youth ministry, taught in human development and family studies, psychology, sociology, religion, social work, pastoral counseling, and sometimes philosophy. This book also appeals to family therapists and counselors.
The loss of intimacy is one of the most difficult—but also one of the most common—factors in the destruction of any relationship. Recovering Intimacy in Love Relationships lays out practical, evidence-based guidelines on which clinicians can depend as they wade through the intense emotions and fragile bonds of couples in crisis. With care and sensitivity, the book's authors analyze the increasingly complex context in which the cycle of intimacy develops, wanes, and recovers. The chapters delve into diverse populations' attitudes toward intimacy and provide an entire section on cultural, gender and religious issues. Clinicians looking for a research-based, practical take on the many facets of intimacy in the twenty-first century need look no further than this book.
In recent years, researchers across the social sciences have made important contributions to the study of religion. Thanks to their inquiry, we have greatly improved our understanding of how religion influences the vital dimensions of our lives, communities, and institutions. To give this research the attention it deserves, editor Jeff Levin assembled a panel of preeminent social scientists and gave them a single directive: write the ultimate statement on religion from within their respective social science discipline or field. The result is this single volume, “state-of-the-science” compendium—a first of its kind for the study of religion. Composed of ten essays, this book details the study of religion within nine basic and applied areas of social science. Along with a critical introduction to this subject, these essays include the expert contributions of: Kenneth I. Pargament & Julie J. Exline on psychology Anthony Gill on political science Charles M. North on economics Barry Hankins on history Annette Mahoney on family studies Byron R. Johnson on criminology Linda K. George on gerontology William H. Jeynes on education Jeff Levin on epidemiology Each essay features: An introduction to the history of the discipline’s or field’s religious research, as well as its most important people and published works. A comprehensive overview of key research findings and theories. A detailed research agenda to guide future scholars. An annotated bibliography of seminal works for the reader’s further consideration. Broad in scope and essential in focus, Religion and the Social Sciences is a significant addition to the field. It will prove indispensable to both new and established scholars looking for a comprehensive treatment of the subject and seeking promising avenues to pursue in their own research.
This unprecedented volume provides a primer on diverse couples and families—one of the most numerous and fastest-growing populations in the United States—illustrating the unique challenges they face to thrive in various cultural and social surroundings. In Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy: Ethnicities, Sexualities, and Socioeconomics, a clinical psychologist and couples and family therapist with nearly two decades' experience leads a team of experts in addressing contemporary elements of diversity as they relate to the American family and covering key topics that all Americans face when establishing their identities, including racial and ethnic identity, gender and sexual orientation identity, religious and spiritual identity, and identity intersections and alternatives. Moreover, it includes chapters on cross-cultural assessment of health and pathology and tailoring treatment to diversity. Every chapter includes vignettes that serve to illustrate the nuances of and solutions to the concerns and issues, as well as the strengths and resilience often inherent in diverse couples or families. Effective methods of coping with stereotypes, intergenerational trauma, discrimination, and social and structural disparities are presented, as are ways to assess and empower couples and families. This text includes experiences and traditions of subgroups that typically receive little attention from being seen as too common, such as white and Christian families, or from being seen as too uncommon, such as couples and families from specific Native American tribes and multiracial couples and families. Thus, it addresses the curricular changes needed to master the diversity found in contemporary American couples and families. The text offers a holistic perspective on diverse couples and families that is consistent with the increasing prominence of models that transcend individual diagnoses and biology to include social factors and context. Theory, policy, prevention, assessment, treatment, and research considerations are included in each chapter. Topics include African American, Asian American, Latino, Native American, white, biracial/multiracial, intercultural, LGBT, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim couples and families as well as diverse family structures. The depth of every chapter includes attention to subgroups within each category, such as African American and Caribbean couples and families, as well as those who represent the intersection between varying oppressed identities, such as an intercultural gay family, or a poor, homeless interracial couple. Additionally, each chapter provides a review section with condensed and easy-to-understand summaries of the key take-away lessons.
In 1994, David Hernandez, a small-time drug-dealer in Spanish Harlem, got out of the drug business and turned his life over to God. After he joined Victory Chapel-a vibrant Bronx-based Pentecostal church-he saw his life change in many ways: today he is a member of the NYPD, married, the father of three, and still an active member of his church. David Hernandez is just one of the many individuals whose stories inform Soul Mates, which draws on both national surveys and in-depth interviews to paint a detailed portrait of the largely positive influence exercised by churches on relationships and marriage among African Americans and Latinos-and whites as well. Soul Mates shines a much-needed spotlight on the lives of strong and happy minority couples. Wilcox and Wolfinger find that both married and unmarried minority couples who attend church together are significantly more likely to enjoy happy relationships than black and Latino couples who do not regularly attend. They argue that churches serving these communities promote a code of decency encompassing hard work, temperance, and personal responsibility that benefits black and Latino families. Wilcox and Wolfinger provide a compelling look at faith and family life among blacks and Latinos. The book offers a wealth of critical insight into the effect of religion on minority relationships, as well as the unique economic and cultural challenges facing African American and Latino families in twenty-first-century America.
This authoritative reference assembles prominent international experts from psychology, social work, and counseling to summarize the current state of couple and family therapy knowledge in a clear A-Z format. Its sweeping range of entries covers major concepts, theories, models, approaches, intervention strategies, and prominent contributors associated with couple and family therapy. The Encyclopedia provides family and couple context for treating varied problems and disorders, understanding special client populations, and approaching emerging issues in the field, consolidating this wide array of knowledge into a useful resource for clinicians and therapists across clinical settings, theoretical orientations, and specialties. A sampling of topics included in the Encyclopedia: Acceptance versus behavior change in couple and family therapy Collaborative and dialogic therapy with couples and families Integrative treatment for infidelity Live supervision in couple and family therapy Postmodern approaches in the use of genograms Split alliance in couple and family therapy Transgender couples and families The first comprehensive reference work of its kind, the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy incorporates seven decades of innovative developments in the fields of couple and family therapy into one convenient resource. It is a definitive reference for therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors, whether couple and family therapy is their main field or one of many modalities used in practice.
