Families are Forever: Communication

Description

Families are Forever: Communication (www.TheFamilyForever.com) looks at typical, healthy American families from a strengths perspective, win-win philosophy and family system’s view. It offers many real examples and ideas as to what can be done to enhance family communication so that families grow to their full potential. The entire book is dialogue driven between members of the Forever Family (Dr. D., Nana and Kelly), the pros, and the Bearister family and all their friends and relatives who chat regularly with the Forevers as a way of learning how to take their extended families to their highest potential. In addition, the other characters who show up, Uncle Charlie, a minister with anger problems enough to get him arrested, Aunt Sarah, who sells her family house and Mercedes and travels on the Greyhound bus across the country with all the profits in $100.00 bills in two paper bags, Cousin Judy who has an interesting gambling problem in that she wins $30,000 at the slots yet is in a family where gambling is sinful, and 20 year college student Char whose mother Joline calls him every morning to get him up for class, are real situations from healthy, ordinary families. Students will especially be able to identify with Kelly, a thirty-seven year old MSW, divoerced and again in an intense relationship. She is a key character in this book and the two that will follow. American’s are born into their family of birth or of origin, reside there for about twenty-years, and then move on to their adult roles and an extended family. This new book looks at communication in extended families with adults 20-80 years of age. It is research, theory and expert based ( 20 primary sources & 30 secondary sources) and includes clear ways to use assertive communication, understanding feelings and values and much new information and family recipes that is not typically written. Areas such as “The Last Word”, The Mobius Strip and Family Communication, Miss-stating, Miss-hearing & Miss-interpreting (via an American classic redone skit) and Understanding the Silent Response are discussed. The Forever and the Bearister families appear in many chapters to share their stories and learn a new way to proceed, called a recipe. Two hundred plus pages on matters of importance to all adults are offered by experienced authors, family counselors and trainers of family counselors. Fifty professional sources, mostly book, are used to ground it.