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.
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.
