Treating Adult Children of Alcoholics: A Developmental Perspective (Wiley Series on Personality Processes) - Hardcover

Brown, Stephanie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471853003 ISBN 13: 9780471853008

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1988

Synopsis

A companion volume to the author's landmark work, "Treating the Alcoholic", this book describes developmental difficulties associated with children of alcoholic parents, and discusses the psychopathology and treatment of such children when they become adults. Common syndromes such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and depression are addressed. The book also provides thoughtful discussion on adult children of alcoholics as parents themselves, and discusses the implications for the mental health professionals who must deal with these issues.

About this title

From the Back Cover

A comprehensive theoretical and practical presentation on the assessment and treatment of adult children of alcoholics.

In Treating Adult Children of Alcoholics, renowned psychologist, researcher, and author Stephanie Brown develops an in–depth, integrated theory linking childhood experiences with an alcoholic parent to developmental difficulties. She emphasizes the importance of the traumatic family environment and provides rich clinical descriptions, linking systems theory and literature of the handicapped to the experience of children of alcoholics.

Dr. Brown connects environmental issues with individual development. She details the defensive maneuvers required to cope with an alcoholic parent and explores their impact on the development of the self. Finally, she outlines the process of recovery, continuing to emphasize the link between environment and individual development. She traces the recovery process from its first step admitting parental alcoholism through the reconstruction of personal identity based on incorporating the realities of parental alcoholism into a new vision of the self.

For mental health professionals, alcoholism counselors, graduate students, recovering alcoholics and their families, and adult children of alcoholics, Treating Adult Children of Alcoholics provides a clear understanding of the impact of parental alcoholism on the developing child. It also opens the door to a solid, realistic course of treatment that offers hope to thousands of adult children of alcoholics.

About the Author

STEPHANIE BROWN, PhD, is Director of Family Research at the Merritt Peralta Institute in Oakland, California. Founder and former director of the Stanford University Alcohol Clinic, she also serves as a private consultant and lecturer. She is the author of Treating the Alcoholic: A Developmental Model of Recovery, also available from Wiley.

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0471853003
• ISBN 13: 9780471853008
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 334