Addresses theory, practice, and outcomes of adopting an empowerment and family resource approach to supporting and strengthening individual family functioning.

Strengthening Family Coping Resources (SFCR) uses a skill-building, multi-family group framework to teach constructive resources to families who have a high exposure to stress and trauma. As an intervention for high-risk families, SFCR can cause a reduction in symptoms of traumatic distress and behavior problems and help families demonstrate higher functioning. The SFCR manual is based on a systemic, family approach and uses empirically-supported trauma treatment that focuses on family ritual, storytelling, and narration, which improves communication and understanding within family members. The manual is organized into three accessible parts: • Part 1 details the theoretical and empirical foundations of SFCR • Part 2 focuses on implementation and the clinical guidelines for conducting SFCR • Part 3 contains session guidelines focused on the multi-family group versions of SFCR Each session included in the intervention is structured according to specific guidelines, and instructions provide examples of what facilitators might say to a group. Formed through the input of psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and anthropologists, Strengthening Family Coping Resources will help you reduce the symptoms of traumatic stress disorders and increase coping resources in children, adult caregivers, and the family system. It also provides a novel approach to addressing co-occurring traumatic reactions in multiple family members by including developmentally appropriate skill-building activities that are reinforced with family practice. For anyone working with families in a therapeutic capacity, this manual is a must-have resource.

Many powerful voices are influencing our grandchildren, from those at home and in their schools to those in the world of entertainment and media. What can you as a grandparent do to speak wisdom and godliness into their lives? Grandparenting gives you a biblical foundation for investing spiritually in your grandkids, walking you through the principles of influencing them for Christ--from sharing with unbelieving grandkids to discipling them into a mature faith. This book is perfect for individual use, small groups, or Sunday school classes. A Grandparenting DVD is available that features eight family ministry experts with over five hours of video content. Two other resources are also available: Biblical Grandparenting is a full-length leadership book that places grandparenting ministry on a firm scriptural foundation. It is ideal for pastors and church leaders as well as for use in the classroom at seminaries. Equipping Grandparents is a brief book to teach pastors how to begin a grandparenting ministry in their church.

Presents a variety of instructional strategies in the margins of each page that are intended to guide you in reviewing and reinforcing the chapter content. Related Web sites are often cited along with technology applications and cross-curricular ideas. It also provides discussion topics, enrichment activities, assessment techniques, and correlations to the National Family and Consumer Sciences Standards.

Love may be sweeter the second time around, but once the bliss of a newfound relationship wears off a little, the reality of being part of a stepfamily sets in. If you are one of the millions of remarried Americans facing the challenge of blending two existing families into one cohesive whole, you are part of a stepcouple—and you know all too well how hard it can be to make your marriage work in sometimes tough terrain. Different parenting styles, finances, relationships with ex-spouses, legal matters, and even seemingly simple issues such as the kinds of chores assigned to children can chisel away at your union if you don’t always make your marriage a priority. Stepcoupling offers advice for stepcouples on how to do just that—all the while strengthening their blended family with a healthy marriage. Susan Wisdom and Jennifer Green provide tips and strategies on dealing with the issues remarried couples face, with a wealth of advice from real-life stepcouples, such as: * Learning to tailor your expectations of your spouse or children and remembering that no family is perfect * Knowing where your boundaries are, whether involving a hostile ex-spouse or a stepchild who demands too much attention * Realizing that traits like flexibility, tolerance, forgiveness, and openness are especially essential in a stepfamily situation * Making “us” time for talking, problem-solving, weekends away, and enjoying your marriage to constantly renew and strengthen your bond as a couple Let this invaluable remarriage manual help you make your stepcouple the foundation of a strong, happy, and successful stepfamily.

The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.