Review
"... clear and well-written...this book moves us forward in looking at divorced families. It should be on the shelf of everyone working with divorce, especially clinicians... This book provides a systems-oriented, less pathological approach to divorce and will be valuable resource for clinicians, teachers, and students." --Cathleen Gray, Families in Society
"Every family professional knows that separation and divorce can and do create emotional and economic havoc for too many adults and children. Professionals who read Bob Emory's book, Renegotiating Family Relationships, may not always be able to straighten out the mess, but it does provide the clearest blue print available yet for understanding the dynamics of divorce and separation and how a mediator can effectively intervene. The book brilliantly presents sound theory from the field, the author's own research, and a host of practical tools all blended together to describe how mediators actually resolve custody disputes. For professionals who currently work in the custody mediation thicket, this book is a must read. You will not be disappointed and you will learn something in the bargain." --Mark R. Lohman, Ph.D., Family Mediation of Northern Virginia
"This excellent book encompasses psychological, legal, and practical aspects of the divorce process and experience, presented in a very clear and readable style. The integration of divorce and mediation research, policy considerations, clinical insight, practical issues, and professional opinion is both unusual and valuable. Emery focuses in considerable detail on the psychology of the divorce experience for parents and children, discusses custody and parenting concepts and issues, describes the legal context of custody and financial settlements, and educates the reader about the custody mediation process and its effectiveness. Renegotiating Family Relationships is highly recommended for parents and mental health and legal professionals wanting an in-depth understanding of the meaning, processes and outcomes of divorce." --Joan B. Kelly, Ph.D., Executive Director, Northern California Mediation Center, Past-President, Academy of Family Mediators
"Robert Emery is both an outstanding researcher in divorce mediation and a thoughtful commentator on family dissolution. In Renegotiating Family Relationships: Divorce, Child Custody and Mediation he provides a clear and accessible yet sophisticated account of divorce as a psychological and legal process of restructuring family relationships. This is a multifaceted book that will be of great interest to both students and scholars, and invaluable to legal and mental health practitioners who deal with families going through divorce." --Elizabeth Scott, J.D., Professor of Law Professor, University of Virginia School of Law
"Robert E. Emery's Renegotiating Family Relationships: Divorce, Child Custody, and Mediation is a must reading for mental health professionals who work clinically with, conduct research with, or teach about families and children! Similar to his earlier writings, Robert E. Emery presents a complex topic in a clear, logical, and practical style. A picture of the divorce process is skillfully, and at times, painfully, painted by the author. However, what is most impressive is that he moves us to 'the next level' in this book by delineating how relationships have to be renegotiated and new boundaries established following marital dissolution. Emery's conceptualization of this process is insightful and simply brilliant!
Furthermore, Renegotiating Family Relationships offers much more. Emery cogently presents the complex and poorly defined legal standards in our country regarding divorce and child custody. The theory and actual practice of custody mediation is presented in such clinical detail that mental health professionals can utilize this book to acquire an understanding of the processes and issues in conducting mediation. Finally, up-to-date research on custody mediation and divorce effects on children is presented.
In summary, Robert E. Emery skillfully interweaves a new conceptual framework for understanding the divorce process, a detailed presentation of the steps and issues in conducting custody mediation, and the research on divorce effects on children and on the effectiveness of mediation. This book is a must reading for the clinician, the researcher, and the teacher who is concerned with the welfare of families and children." --Rex Forehand, Ph.D., University of Georgia
"....An insightful, clear, and concise treatise on alternative dispute resolution strategies that will be appreciated by a wide range of readers. This book is recommended reading for couples obliged to navigate their mutual parenting responsibilities over the rocky shoals of divorce. This book ought to be required reading for professionals--whether mediators, therapists, or judges--who work with divorcing couples embroiled in custody disputes. Furthermore, researchers studying marital dissolution and its effects on parents' and children's postdivorce adjustment will find the material comprehensive....Finally, friends or family members of divorcing couples may also benefit from reading this book...." --Kelly A. Brennan in Contemporary Psychology
About the Author
Robert E. Emery, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia where he teaches, conducts research, and is a practicing clinical psychologist and mediator. Recognized as an international authority on family conflict, divorce mediation, and children's development, Dr. Emery is the author of over 60 scientific articles and book chapters, and speaks widely on these topics to researchers, practitioners, and social policy makers. He is author of Marriage, Divorce, and Children's Adjustment and co-author, with Thomas Oltmanns, of Abnormal Psychology.
