Adoption and the Family System: Strategies for Treatment [Hardcover]

Reitz/Watson. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0898627974 | ISBN-13: 978-0898627978 | Publication Date: March 13, 1992 | Edition: 1

Adoption is a profound experience that touches upon universal themes of abandonment, identity, sexuality, parenthood, and the sense of belonging. The authors utilize family systems theory to construct a practical treatment approach for working with families on the myriad issues and interrelationships that surround adoption. The model described here is broadly inclusive of all families linked by "the adoption triangle'--birth parents, adoptive families, and adoptees--and it offers practical guidance for implementing differential treatment and effective clinical procedures on their behalf.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...Overall, the book will be particularly helpful to therapists whose clients are dealing with adoption-related issues. However, researchers interested in close relationships might also find this book useful for its extensive description of the impact of adoption on family dynamics. I hope that developmental, personality, and social psychologists, as well as therapists interested in the family, will see the benefits to be gained from studying adoption processes in understanding family interactions and personality development." --Review by Valerian J. Derlega. Extracted from CONTEMPORARY PSYCHOLOGY.

"ADOPTION AND THE FAMILY SYSTEM is a landmark publication in the adoption field. Reitz and Watson have given us a sensitive, thorough, and insightful analysis of the dynamics of adoption as it is experienced by all members of the adoption triangle. As a resource for clinicians, this book should prove to be invaluable. The authors' approach to clinical assessment and treatment is well grounded in family systems theory. Intervention strategies are clearly described and supported by excellent use of case examples. The book fills a glaring gap in the clinical literature on adoption. It undoubtedly will be well received by those professionals who work with adoptees, adoptive parents, and members of birth families. This is a most important book." --David M. Brodzinsky, Ph.D., Rutgers University

"This book is a unique contribution to the literature on adoption and family therapy. For the first time, family therapists will now understand how to handle adoption within a family therapy context; and adoption workers will understand the implications of adoption in the family system. Never before has there been a volume which brings together family systems theory and adoption. Especially helpful are the numerous case examples, useful interventions, and examples of good practice for working with all members of the adoption triad and their extended families."
--Dirck Brown, Ed.D., coauthor of CLINICAL PRACTICE IN ADOPTION

"...a first-rate book that provides a sensitive and insightful look at adoption family dynamics. Undoubtedly, this book will be well-received by clinicians who work with members of the adoption community." --David M. Brodzinsky, Ph.D., in The Quarterly

"...an innovative and creative approach for clinical work with adopted persons and their adopted families...Reitz and Watson have written a timely, comprehensive volume...They have made a major contribution to the adoption and family systems literature. Clinicians, especially those working in the adoption field, will benefit by reading this book." --Marvin W. Clifford, B.C.S.W., D.S.W., Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal

About the Author

Miriam Reitz, PhD, LCSW is a family therapist currently in independent practice who has practiced, taught, and supervised in family therapy for many years in the Chicago area. After training as a clinical social worker, she began her career in a child welfare agency that treated children separately from their families. After early, enlightening exposure to systems theory applied to whole families, this became the basis for her work. She later returned to the University of Chicago to earn her doctorate in social work. A study of newly married couples for her dissertation provided research support for the practice model presented in this book.

Kenneth W. Watson, MSW, LCSW, is the Assistant Director of the Chicago Child Care Society. He has been in the field of child welfare for more than 35 years. Currently the Chair of the National Adoption Task Force of the Child Welfare League of America, he serves on the Board of the American Adoption Congress, and is a member of the Editorial Review Board of the journal, Child Welfare. He has held faculty appointments at four schools of social work and is nationally known as a trainer and an author of many articles and monographs on child welfare issues.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (March 13, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898627974
• ISBN-13: 978-0898627978
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,455,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.