Our commentary highlights the authors' conceptual and empirical contributions for understanding the incidence and dynamics of varying types of adoption breakdowns and their impact on adopted youth and their families. Important distinctions are made between legal, residential, and psychological/relational permanence for children. To date, most…

The best education no doubt comes from a student staying in one school system from elementary to high school. Some students are fortunate to have a consistent education; some are not as fortunate. Continuity in instruction, learner outcomes, emotional stability, and social relationships prevail when students live in one location as long as…

While significant attention has been paid to Wall Street investors and families impacted by the current subprime mortgage crisis in the USA, the lives of Sesame Street are minimally discussed. Children and their families are enduring a variety of consequences of foreclosures. The consequences can be hugely disruptive to the approximately 2 million…

This paper presents the testimony of Gina Adams before the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee Hearing on "Improving Early Childhood Development Policies and Practices." This testimony was presented to the House Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives last March 19, 2009. She talks about how…

This article arose from the author's experiences as a researcher exploring children's reactions to their parents' separation. Between 1999 and 2004, the author undertook to find out what a sample of Australian children thought of their abilities to participate in decisions that directly affected them following family breakdown. Before beginning…

Calls for a recognition of existential issues in family therapy. Notes the importance of "big questions" to families, reviews the roots of existential philosophy therapy, and offers an example of the usefulness of connecting existential thought to the family field by discussing differentiation/fusion from an existential perspective. (BH)

Presents an integration of object relations theory and family systems theory in the conceptualization of bulimia. Proposes that in bulimic families there are transgenerational developmental deficits and adaptations which determine the level and quality of intrapsychic experience within individuals and the interpersonal relationships and dynamic…

Presents case study of David, six-year-old male who was experiencing a myriad of personal and family problems and who was expressing a desire to die. Comments on the case are provided by two practitioners in the field. (NB)

Focuses upon gambling, the twelfth largest industry in the United States, and its impact on families. Discusses the history of gambling, the cost of gambling, and the growth of lotteries. Suggests issues for consumer professionals to explore. (JOW)

The technique called "two-marriage therapy" (conjoint cotherapy by married cotherapy teams) has been developed to help couples in marital crises to confront the elusive nature of marriage. This paper attempts to show how the presence of a married cotherapy team adds a significant salutary perspective on the marriage in conflict. (Author)

The author examines the three crises he feels family therapy has passed through in the last three decades, including the need to transcend its focus on schizophrenia and to deal with families differing widely in socioeconimic origin. The current challenge is the need for professionalization of the field. (Author)

This article reviews the meaning and origins of child maltreatment in relation to children with disabilities. The heightened risk of abuse that is faced by such children arises from dynamics within the familial and community context of the child. (Author/DB)

The article describes a strategy for evaluating alternatives in intervention in families having children with handicaps using the values framework proposed by Nicholas Hobbs. A practitioners' checklist is offered as a guide for assessing the consistency of proposed interventions with the values framework. (Author/DB)

Advocates that counseling professionals work together as team in helping families. Contends that quality of care provided is improved by coordinated network of helping professionals. Discusses advantages of community network, identifies obstacles to implementing networks, reviews related literature, lists assumptions upon which team approach is…

A teacher recounts how she dealt with a new student who was prone to tears and her peers who liked to evoke them. After discovering that the child had family problems, the teacher selected a group of peers to befriend her. (CB)