Spirituality is often regarded as "off-limits" in family therapy training and practice. Some therapists may be wary of influencing clients to adopt their own religious convictions; others, less spiritually oriented, may underestimate the importance of faith in clients' lives. Filling a crucial void, this volume shows how attending to religious and spiritual concerns in therapy can enrich clinical practice and help families tap into powerful resources for healing and change. Leading family therapists address such topics as religious perspectives on suffering and resilience; special concerns of poor, ethnic minority, and immigrant families; spiritual beliefs and experiences that may constrain growth; and the role of family rituals. Broad and pluralistic in scope, the volume invites clinicians to examine their own relationship to spirituality and imparts essential knowledge and skills for working with clients of diverse faiths.

Examines the impact of death and bereavement on the family structure, covering such topics as the loss of children, spouses, siblings, and parents; suicide; and the mourning process in different cultures (view table of contents)

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Discusses women's role in the family, examines gender influences in family therapy, and considers marriage, motherhood, sisters, and lesbian couples