Customer Reviews

Smart Moves: Your Guide Through the Emotional Maze of Relocation

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
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This book was recommended to me as my husband and I were embarking on a move that was VERY difficult for me. Both of us read it from cover to cover, and have gone back to it....for me to remember I'm not the only one who has had these adjustment problems, and for him to see how he can better support me and get acclimated himself. The book covers every conceivable topic about the personal and emotional transitions that accompany a move, and was easy to read and enormously helpful. Make sure you pick up a copy if you or anyone else you know is making a big move!

As a co-author of this book I am obviously somewhat prejudiced, but thought potential readers might be interested in the book's origins. In the process of writing a chapter on the effects of relocation on children (available in the Handbook of Child Psychiatry, Vol 4 from J. Wiley)I was struck with the difficulty many children experienced following a move, and with the lack of resources available to help adults or children deal with the stresses of relocation. Some of the best research on the effects of relocation on adults had been done by Audrey McCollum, and so I contacted her and we began to work on a book that could help both individuals and families better prepare for and deal with the stresses of relocation. Nadia Jensen, with a doctorate in early childhook education, joined us to help focus on the needs of young children and on issues related to schools. As a cartoonist, and coauthor of several workbooks, I very much wanted to include cartoons to help lighten the mood and worksheets to help people carry out specific assignments in the process of preparing for their move. As a superb writer and storyteller, Audrey argued for an uninterupted text. Our compromise was to put a cartoon at the beginning of each chapter, and worksheets at the end of each chapter. If you buy this book, I would love to hear from you what you found most helpful in it and what you think we should change in the next edition. Good luck with your move. Stu Copans

This book is written for married couples with children considering a move -- particularly those who are relocating for employment reasons. Every chapter addresses 'his' needs and 'her' needs, making decisions as a couple, moving, adjusting, etc. There is a small amount of information for people making moves related to retirement. But if you are single or a single parent and moving (including the 51% of women in this country who are unmarried), this book will not address your needs or concerns.

For those looking for a 'guide through the emotional maze of relocation,' this focuses only on the negative emotions that may arise with relocating. I expected that the 'emotional maze' would provide a more even-handed discussion of all of the emotions surrounding relocating, positive as well as negative, benefits to be gained as well as the emotional costs of moving. But this focuses on the stress, anxiety and loss related to moving and misses the opportunity to explore the excitement, discovery, and rewards that can also accompany a move. Disappointing overall.

Dealing with the pain of moving involves more than just the move itself. This book talks about the emotional trauma, too. Good for anyone who's family is feeling the emotional stress of moving.

This is the best book I have every found on this topic. It is not only informative but covers topic such as how to search for a new job, how to go about researching the new area your moving to and what are your true motivations for moving is it because your looking for someplace more relaxing or are you trying to escape some problems.Overall this is one book that is very valuable to anyone who wants to explore thier options more throughly before moving.