Since the first edition of this practical book was published in 1990, a number of important developments have taken place and have been incorporated into the new edition. There are now many kinds of "non-traditional" relationships that accompany an increasing divorce rate and the shrinking number of marriages. Co-habitation, remarriage, step-parent/step-child relationships and their implications for the extended family, their strengths and areas of tension are examined. Accompanying these changes has been a development in therapeutic approaches and additional outcome data is now available. Rapid progress has been made in treatments, and their implications are described. In addition the therapeutic managing of separating and divorcing couples, domestic violence, and the aftermath of sexual and physical abuse are discussed.

Based on a series of essays, this work deals with aspects of mental health and discusses the healthy family. It covers different roles within the family and the adjustments necessary as the boundaries between traditional male and female stereotypes change.