Family Ties That Bind: A Self-Help Guide to Change Through Family of Origin Therapy (Self-Counsel Personal Self-Help) [Paperback]

Ronald W. Richardson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995 | Series: Self-Counsel Personal Self-Help

Most people?s lives are complicated by family relationships. Birth order, our parents? relationship, and the ?rules? we were brought up with can affect our self-esteem and relationships with spouses, children, and other family members. Family of Origin therapy and techniques can help you create better relationships. This easy-to-read, practical book explains how families function and what you can do to change the way you act in your family and with other people. Exercises show how to apply the principles to your own situation and develop a more positive approach to all aspects of your life. Step-by-step exercises show how to make contact with ?lost? family members, how to interview relatives to develop a clearer picture of how each member fits into the family tree, and how to find different and better ways of dealing with family relationships. Professionals will also find this book a useful companion to their therapy sessions with clients.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Most people's lives are complicated by family relationships. Birth order, our parents' relationship, and the rules we were brought up with can affect our self-esteem and relationships with spouses, children, and other family members. Family of Origin therapy and techniques can help you create better relationships. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Dr. Ronald W. Richardson, BA, MDiv, DMin, has been a marriage counselor and family therapist since 1976. He retired in 1996. He was formerly the Executive Director and Director of Training at the North Shore Counselling Centre in British Columbia. He was also on the faculty of the Pacific Coast Family Therapy Training Association. He is active as a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and is a Diplomate of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Self Counsel Pr; 3rd edition (November 1995)
• ISBN-10: 1551800225
• ISBN-13: 978-1551800226
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #942,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born at the end of the 1930's, Ron Richardson started life in Missouri, grew up in Los Angeles, graduated from UCLA, Princeton Seminary, and the Rochester/Colgate Divinity School. He worked as a pastor in Wilmington, Delaware and Rochester, New York for ten years, before he became a Marriage and Family Therapist and Pastoral Counselor. He moved to Vancouver, BC (Canada) in the mid seventies and eventually became the Executive Director of the North Shore Counseling Centre. The Centre grew rapidly under his leadership and had 8 field offices around greater Vancouver and a clinical staff of 30 therapists. He retired in 1995.

His books are based on his own clinical practice with clients and his teaching work with students from various clinical disciplines, as well as with clergy of different denominations. Ron adopted Bowen Family Systems Theory as his preferred approach to practice early in his professional life. He also found it especially effective in his own family and marital life. Documenting this, he has recorded some of his personal family work in his book "Becoming a Healthier Pastor."

He and his wife enjoy travel and are active outdoor enthusiasts. He does occasional workshops with people who are interested in Bowen Family Systems Theory.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great way to get started on understanding family, March 5, 2002

By A Customer

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This review is from: Family Ties That Bind: A self-help guide to change through Family of Origin therapy. (Self-Counsel Personal Self-Help) (Paperback)

I have been recommending this book to friends and colleagues who are struggling with family issues. It is easy to read, and yet raises very relevant and practical questions. This is the perfect bridge between the most powerful academic ideas, and practical steps for anyone to take to understand themselves, and create better relationships with their family.

There are many cases presented in the book that can help you see that what you're experiencing is common, and can be worked through. The underlying structure of the book is very solid--based on Friedman's emotional systems stuff. There is a part at the end on how to research and learn from your family history, going back several generations.

Finally, there is a fun chapter on family position. I think it is meant to be general, and taken with a grain of salt. Having said that, I've found the research on the link between family position and couple compatibility to be very interesting.

If you like this book and want more depth, read "Generation to Generation" by Edwin Friedman.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book provides an excellent basis for family of origin., October 22, 1999

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Rain when I die "R.I.P. Layne" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Family Ties That Bind: A self-help guide to change through Family of Origin therapy. (Self-Counsel Personal Self-Help) (Paperback)

This book provided valuable insight and information surrounding family of origin and birth order. It helped in understanding how and why we interact the way we do in our families. A very good basic and easy-to-read book. Excellent as a referral for clients.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Differentiation - a key to being and giving, March 31, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Family Ties That Bind: A self-help guide to change through Family of Origin therapy. (Self-Counsel Personal Self-Help) (Paperback)

I read this book on the advice of a wonderful counselor. What I found most remarkable was that the Family Systems approach confirms the crucial importance of fathers in our lives, both as men and women. It seems that in our desire to correct the injustices commited against women by selfish and angry men, we have gone too far and ignored the fact that a father's love is vitally important for both men and women to find wholeness. This book doesn't give all the answers, but it is a step towards finding healing for our brokenness and the freedom to freely give of ourselves to loved ones, friends, and all those in need around us. A good follow up read to this book is Leanne Payne's "Crisis in Masculinity".