Pastoral counselors, therapists-in-training, and clergy are usually introduced to one method of family assessment and treatment, which works better in some situations than in others. Integrative Family Therapy introduces the major schools of family therapy, proposes a tested model that integrates the various approaches, and illustrates how this model functions both for assessing and treating family problems. Seven central concepts are discerned as a way of understanding the various family therapies as a group. Then the major family therapy theories are discussed, including cognitive, family...

Learn how to help couples to navigate and resolve the spiritual themes present in marriage

Statistically speaking, about half of all first marriages fail. The Spiritual Work of Marriage comprehensively discusses an issue that is central to addressing committed relationships and intimacy--the difficult, and yet very common, spiritual work that exists within marriage. This insightful guide goes deeper into ways to improve marital intimacy by explaining its spiritual dimension and describing a variety of spiritual themes that every couple deals with and must resolve. The book...

Statistically speaking, about half of all first marriages fail. The Spiritual Work of Marriage comprehensively discusses an issue that is central to addressing committed relationships and intimacy--the difficult, and yet very common, spiritual work that exists within marriage. This insightful guide goes deeper into ways to improve marital intimacy by explaining its spiritual dimension and describing a variety of spiritual themes that every couple deals with and must resolve. The book contains practical case study material, questions for group discussion, and a series of spiritual and...

This book explores the difficulties clergy face when they attempt to say no by setting effective boundaries in order to say yes to the life-giving call of ministry. It illustrates the benefits of good boundaries, even as it traces the legacy of denominational boundary trainings in the wake of the public clergy sexual misconduct crisis. Devor and Olsen supplement anecdotes from their experience leading boundary trainings with an examination of clergy/congregation dynamics through the lenses of both self-psychology and family systems theory elucidating how some obstacles to effective boundary...

This book explores the difficulties clergy face when they attempt to say no by setting effective boundaries in order to say yes to the life-giving call of ministry. It illustrates the benefits of good boundaries, even as it traces the legacy of denominational boundary trainings in the wake of the public clergy sexual misconduct crisis. Devor and Olsen supplement anecdotes from their experience leading boundary trainings with an examination of clergy/congregation dynamics through the lenses of both self-psychology and family systems theory elucidating how some obstacles to effective boundary...