Lyceum Books





 



      

I very much liked the presentation and exploration of the multiple premises for envisioning and understanding families in US society.”

—Karen Jick, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay

 

DIVERSITY IN FAMILY CONSTELLATIONS: Implications for Practice

Krishna L. Guadalupe, California State University, Sacramento
Debra L. Welkley, California State University, Sacramento

The idea of family is not easily defined and is in a constant state of change. In order to create a more manageable environment for human service practitioners, Diversity in Family Constellations presents family groups and arrangements as multidimensional, nonstatic, living entities that are in a constant process of being and becoming.

This book introduces a series of guidelines, conventional and unconventional, that human service practitioners can use to explore the complexities of family dynamics regarding assessment and intervention. The authors provide readers with opportunities to apply these guidelines within the context of diverse family constellations, including the nuclear family, the single-parent family, the multigenerational family, foster or institutional families, lesbian and gay families, and blended families.

Features

  • Case studies for practice with diverse families
  • Data tables that compare and contrast concepts
  • Illustrated figures presenting alternative ideologies and methods of practice
  • Self-evaluation exercises for assessing strengths, values, beliefs, attitudes, and biases
  • Professional exercises for the development of skills and strategies in family practice
  • Review questions at the end of each chapter

Contents

List of Figures and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments

Part I   The Family Within the Context of Multidimensionality and Contextualization
  Chapter 1    Creation of a Baseline
          Krishna L. Guadalupe and Debra L. Welkley
  Chapter 2 Shifts in Family Paradigms
      Krishna L. Guadalupe and Debra L. Welkley
  Chapter 3 The Family in Constant Transition and Transaction
      Krishna L. Guadalupe and Debra L. Welkley
  Chapter 4 An Eclectic Approach: The Power of Inclusiveness
      Krishna L. Guadalupe and Debra L. Welkley
Part II A Closer Look at Diverse Family Constellations
  Chapter 5 Language, Law, and the Supremacy of the Opposite-Sex Family Ideal
      Myles Montgomery
  Chapter 6 The Multigenerational Family Constellation
      Dale Russell and Debra L. Welkley
  Chapter 7 Single-Parent Family Constellations
      J. Ann Moylan
  Chapter 8 Lesbian and Gay Families (Gamilies)
      Jan Osborne
  Chapter 9 Residential and Foster Care Family Constellations
      Debra L. Welkley
  Chapter 10 Blended Family and Multipartner Family Constellations
      Errol Bolden and Shirley Newton-Guest
Part III   Final Reflections
  Chapter 11   The Family: Considering Further Possibilities
      Krishna L. Guadalupe and Debra L. Welkley

About the Editors

Krishna L. Guadalupe (MSW, Rutgers University; PhD, University of South Carolina; certificates/licenses in diverse traditional and nontraditional wellness modalities) is a professor of social work at California State University, Sacramento. He has more than twenty years of direct experience in the field of human services and continues to practice independently, integrating a variety of wellness approaches with individuals, groups, and families. Guadalupe travels nationally and internationally conducting seminars and workshops in the area of human diversity and wellness, family practice, conflict management, group dynamics, and grief and loss. He also works as a consultant, conducting program assessment and writing grants for diverse human services organizations

Debra L. Welkley (MA, Baylor University) has taught for twenty years in community colleges and four-year colleges and universities and currently is a lecturer at California State University, Sacramento, in the Department of Sociology. She also teaches courses at Cosumnes River College and American River College. She has more than twenty years of experience working with children and families through direct service and practice, as well as experience as a program and agency director.


2012 Paperback, 312 pages, ISBN 978-1-933478-46-3, $44.95