Therapy With Stepfamilies

Rating:
Summary: compact, specific, useful - and misses key points
Review: I have been a professional stepfamily researcher and therapist for 27 and 24 years, respectively. I'm currently an invited Board member of the DStepfamily Association oof America, and a contributing editor to "Your Stepfamily Online" e-magazine. I've lived in two stepfamilies, as a stepgran\dson, stepson, stepfather, and stepbrother.

This classic book is commendable for (a) indicating the scope of issues with typical stepfamily clients, (b) focusing on the differences between intact biofamilies and typical stepfamilies, (c) hilighting common major therapeutic iswues and suggesting useful interventions, (d) being upbeat and realistic in tone, and (e) providing a usable index.

I believe the Vishers omit several key issues: (1) the common stressor of co-parents being wounded from low-nurturance childhoods, and what to do about that; (2) the common stressors of values conflicts and (Karpmann) relationship triangles; (3) the concept of surface problems and underlying primary needs determining most behavior and surface "problems," and (4) the importance of having co-parents and relatives accept their stepfamily identity, and what it *means;* (tho they do focus on helping co-parents change myths into realistic expectations).

Overall, this is a fine book for students and experienced therapists who embrace the family systems paradigm. Learning the concepts and related interventions for the four points above will add to any clinician's effectiveness.

For more perspective, see this nonprofit educational site:

http://sfhelp.org