Quimby Memorial Library: Relationship Issues: Home

RELATIONSHIP ISSUES

Difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships are a common reason for clients to seek outside help – whether it is between romantic partners, siblings, parent and child, friendships, or colleagues. Also, the obstacles will be as varied as the kinds of relationships: loneliness, abuse or neglect, poor communication, different viewpoints or priorities, intimacy issues, divorce, codependency, severe illness, and more. Some therapists specialize as couples counselors or family counselors for this very reason, but patients suffering interpersonal conflicts will be encountered by anyone in the field.

This guide features QML's resources on the skills for handling Relationship Issues, both in clinical and wider contexts. Click a tab above to view ebooks, articles, and books on this approach. While the resources provide a well-rounded survey of our holdings on the topic, they are not comprehensive. Please contact us, if you are not seeing represented here any topics, authors, or specific foci, on which you are seeking information.

You will find links to the information you need to access and effectively use the databases housing this material, at the top of each page in this guide.

EBOOKS

Featured here are some of QML's contemporary ebooks on Relationship Issues. In addition to these featured items, QML holds additional material on this topic and can access much more, via our interlibrary loan network. If you are not finding what you need here, please email us at askthelibrary@swc.edu.

You can retrieve credentials for accessing ebooks from EBSCOhost, by clicking here.

QML'S EBOOKS DATABASE

Looking for additional information and tips for effectively using QML's ebooks database? Start here.

Essential Skills in Family Therapy: From the First Interview to Termination by Claudia Grauf-Grounds; JoEllen Patterson; Lee Williams; Todd M. Edwards; Larry Chamow
ISBN: 9781462533435

Publication Date: 2018

Many students and beginning clinicians have relied on this engaging, authoritative text--now revised and expanded--to hit the ground running in real-world clinical practice. Focusing on what works, the authors show how to flexibly draw on multiple theories and techniques to conduct comprehensive assessments, develop collaborative treatment plans, and intervene effectively for frequently encountered clinical concerns. Mental health skills needed by all therapists are interwoven with state-of-the-art family therapy knowledge. Illustrated with instructive case examples and vignettes, the book helps the reader navigate typical dilemmas and troubleshoot when treatment gets “stuck.”
Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy: Ethnicities, Sexualities, and Socioeconomics by Shalonda Kelly
ISBN: 9781440833632

Publication Date: 2016

This unprecedented volume provides a primer on diverse couples and families—one of the most numerous and fastest-growing populations in the United States—illustrating the unique challenges they face to thrive in various cultural and social surroundings.In Diversity in Couple and Family Therapy: Ethnicities, Sexualities, and Socioeconomics, a clinical psychologist and couples and family therapist with nearly two decades'experience leads a team of experts in addressing contemporary elements of diversity as they relate to the American family and covering key topics that all Americans face when establishing their identities, including racial and ethnic identity, gender and sexual orientation identity, religious and spiritual identity, and identity intersections and alternatives.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Couples by Avigail Lev; Matthew McKay
ISBN: 9781626254800

Publication Date: 2017

Relationships take work. In this much-anticipated book, best-selling author Matthew McKay and psychologist Avigail Lev present the ten most common relationship schemas, and provide an evidence-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) treatment protocol for professionals to help clients overcome the barriers that hold them back in their relationships.Romantic relationships are a huge challenge for many of us, as evidenced by our high divorce rates. But what is it that causes so much pain and discord in many relationships? In Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Couples, Matthew McKay and Avigail Lev provide the first ACT-based treatment protocol for couples that identifies the ten most common relationship schemas—and the coping behaviors they drive—to help you guide clients through their pain and toward solutions that reflect the needs and values of the couple.
Breaking Apart Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse by Shondrah Tarrezz Nash; Lisa Michele Shannon; Monica Himes; Lynn Geurin
ISBN: 9781032010632

Publication Date: 2023

Breaking Apart Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse provides a thorough examination of intimate partner violence and abuse, encompassing the nature, influences, and impact of its presence in interpersonal relationships. By'pulling together'representative studies and other evidence-based analyses by researchers and interventionists, this comprehensive overview surveys the prevalence, patterns, and common risk factors among a number of demographics, including women, men, transpeople, partners in opposite- and same-sex relationships, teen dating partners, later-life partners and abused partners with disabilities. The authors also disentangle – that is,'break apart'– the factors of race, class, gender, sexuality, gender expression and culture by exploring their effects on experiences of intimate partner violence and abuse perpetration and victimization. Although less scrutinized in current literature on the topic, discourse and institutional barriers to abused women's well-being and safety are also delved into, particularly those exacerbated by rural isolation, non-national status and theologies.
Divorce: Emotional Impact and Therapeutic Interventions by Salman Akhtar
ISBN: 9781442279315

Publication Date: 2016

Divorce: Emotional Impact and Therapeutic Interventions offers a broad survey of psychodynamic observations on the antecedents and consequences of divorce. In this volume, distinguished clinical psychologists and psychoanalysts explore the emotional divorce that invariably precedes the one granted by a court and focus as well upon the emotional impact of the actual divorce upon the spouses, children, friends, and family. Examining a variety of modern families, chapters address both short-term and long-term sequelae of divorce, transgenerational reverberations, and the occasional, unsung benefits of divorce.
Assessing and Treating Youth Exposed to Traumatic Stress by Victor G. Carrion
ISBN: 9781615371426

Publication Date: 2018

Assessing and Treating Youth Exposed to Traumatic Stress is a cogent, caring, and comprehensive response to the reality that many children live lives of constant threat, fear, and confusion while lacking opportunities for positive social interactions, stimulation, and empowerment. Although the book is written for mental health clinicians, teachers and others who support traumatized youth will find this book an essential addition to their professional libraries. Identifying these children is the first step, and the importance of careful assessment through use of the clinical interview -- in both individual and group settings -- is emphasized. In addition, the population with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly diverse in terms of presentation and target symptoms, and the book explores differences in type, duration, and accumulation of trauma; age of insult; stress vulnerability; family history; and other individual factors. Nearly a dozen of treatment options are presented in the book, and they are distinguished by setting, such as clinic, home, or school, and modality, such as psychotherapy or pharmacology.
Psychology of Loneliness by Lázár Rudolf
ISBN: 9781536129007

Publication Date: 2017

In this compilation, the authors begin by discussing veterans'loneliness post-war, delineating this experience's developmental course and the underlying relational deficits at its infrastructure throughout that course. The authors also compare the characteristics of this loneliness to those of other types of loneliness, highlighting the necessity of understanding the veteran's experience as a specific form of loneliness. Next, developmental change in elderly people linked to loneliness and preference for solitude are examined through findings of recent studies, and reconsidering loneliness and the positive aspects of solitude. Intervention strategies to address loneliness and suicide are studied, and recommendations for clinical practice and future areas of study are presented.
Respectful Relationships by Justin Healey
ISBN: 9781921507663

Publication Date: 2012

We all have our own needs at different times within relationships, and it is important to give and take in terms of these needs and to show each other respect. Everyone has the right to feel safe, to be treated fairly, and to be valued and accepted for who they are. This book presents advice for young people on how to develop skills to negotiate relationship needs respectfully and safely in partner relationships, friendships and family relationships. Issues addressed include peer pressure and teen friendships; dating pressures and expectations; domestic violence and abusive relationships; and managing anger and conflict. How do young people identify unacceptable and abusive behaviors in their relationships and how can they learn to behave in positive and respectful ways? Also includes worksheets and activities.
Re-Visioning Family Therapy: Addressing Diversity in Clinical Practice by Monica McGoldrick; Kenneth V. Hardy
ISBN: 9781462531936

Publication Date: 2019

A leading text for courses that go beyond the basics of family systems theory, intervention techniques, and diversity, this influential work has now been significantly revised with 65% new material. The volume explores how family relationships--and therapy itself--are profoundly shaped by race, social class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and other intersecting dimensions of marginalization and privilege. Chapters from leading experts guide the practitioner to challenge assumptions about family health and pathology, understand the psychosocial impact of oppression, and tap into clients' cultural resources for healing. Practical clinical strategies are interwoven with theoretical insights, case examples, training ideas, and therapists' reflections on their own cultural and family legacies.

ARTICLES

This bibliography features peer-reviewed, searchable journals and academic articles, reporting on contemporary research, analysis, and theory related to Relationship Issues in a therapeutic context. In addition to what is featured here, QML holds further material on this topic and can access much more, via our interlibrary loan network. If you are not finding what you need here, please email us at askthelibrary@swc.edu.

You can retrieve credentials for accessing articles from Taylor & Francis Online, by clicking here.

QML'S ACADEMIC ARTICLES DATABASE

Looking for information on how to access and effectively use QML's academic articles database? Start here.

JOURNALS

Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy
Publication Date: 1990 - Present

The Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy promotes a better understanding of what contributes to healthy adult relationships and how therapy facilitates the process. Experts address key treatment issues for all types of adult relationships. Articles explore couple therapy from the perspectives of theory, research, and practice, as well as issues related to the supervision and personal growth of clinicians. Special thematic issues address a single topic for the entire issue, allowing a more significant focus on that particular topic. A recent thematic issue studied clinical concerns with interracial couples.
Journal of Intergenerational Relationships
Publication Date: 2003 - Present

The Journal of Intergenerational Relationships is the forum for scholars, practitioners, policy makers, educators, and advocates to stay abreast of the latest intergenerational research, practice methods and policy initiatives. This is the only peer-reviewed journal focusing on the intergenerational field integrating practical, theoretical, empirical, familial, and policy perspectives. Papers published in the journal address intergenerational relationships, programs, theory and research that frame and inform our understanding of relationships among members of non-adjacent, "skipped", generations.
The American Journal of Family Therapy
Publication Date: 1973 - Present

The American Journal of Family Therapy continues to be the incisive, authoritative, independent voice in an ever-changing field. Contents include the latest techniques for assessing and treating couples and families, and issues and research on a variety of topics, including: normal and dysfunctional family relationships; sexuality, intimacy, divorce, and premarital counseling; evidence based practice in family therapy, etc. This journal appeals to a wide readership, including marriage and family therapists, family counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, allied health practitioners, professional counselors, clinical social workers, clergy, physicians, and nurses.

ARTICLES

Art therapy with couples: integrating art therapy practices with sex therapy and emotionally focused therapy by Einat Metzl
Publication Date: 2020

This paper highlights the benefits of art therapy with couples, integrating sex therapy and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) premises, and illustrating the use of creative and expressive tools to uniquely assess and foster relational and intimate bonds. While art therapists have long worked from systemic and creative frames, previous art therapy research explored attachment or dyadic art making, has not often explored its application within couples’ therapy treatment. From a clinical perspective, however, anecdotal accounts of art therapy interventions with couples working on intimacy and relational issues and growing development of (non-art therapy) couples’ treatment models, such as EFT and sex therapy support the potential usefulness of art therapy with couples.
Our Family is A Team: A Structural Family Therapy Tool for Counselors by Brandon P. Eddy; Christa Clayton; Katherine M. Hertlein
Publication Date: 2021

Working with children can be a difficult and intimidating task for many family counselors, especially when attempting to discuss complex issues of the family structure. Using a construct children already understand, such as a sports team, counselors can help children understand how their family functions and shares many of the same dynamics as a sports team. The purpose of this article is to present an intervention counselors can use when working with school-aged children. This intervention can help each family member feel a sense of belonging and can aid in the understanding and necessity of having an effective family structure.
The Experiences of Licensed Clinicians Counseling Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence by Laverne Alston; Rebecca G. Cowan; Crystal Neal; Megan M. Mahon
Publication Date: 2021

The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore the experiences of 10 licensed clinicians who have provided services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer populations (LGBQ) who are survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). After the data was collected, transcribed, and coded, five main themes emerged from this study: (1) past experiences impacting rendering services, (2) confirmation of IPV within LGBQ populations, (3) challenges of rendering services, (4) training considerations, and (5) a call for change in the mental health profession. Implications, including training considerations, and directions for future research are considered.
Effects of adult ADHD on intimate partnerships by Anh-Luu T. Huynh-Hohnbaum; S. M. Benowitz
Publication Date: 2022

Although research on adult ADHD has become more prevalent since the condition’s recognition in the 1990s, information remains scarce about if and how it impacts functionality in relationships. Adults with ADHD can experience interpersonal relationship difficulties due to the disorder’s signature symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattentiveness, as well as due to adult ADHD’s oft-observed dimension of emotional lability. Adults with ADHD tend to have more trouble navigating romantic relationships and are more likely to be divorced than adults without ADHD. The purpose of this paper is to perform a systematic literature review of empirically based studies of integrative couples therapy wherein at least one partner struggles with adult ADHD. Future research, gaps in the literature, and practice implications also are discussed, including hope for focus on the positive aspects of ADHD for individuals and partnerships.
A Phenomenological Exploration of Client Meaningful Experiences in Family Counseling by Corrine R. Sackett; Ryan M. Cook
Publication Date: 2022

This is a constructivist phenomenological study of client meaningful experiences in family counseling where researchers employed two post-session interviews with each family. The sample consisted of six participants (three families) who ranged in age from seven to 47. Participant racial/ethnic identities included five White and one biracial and gender identities included four female and two male. Findings revealed the following themes: (a) counseling sessions are a positive experience and something to look forward to, with subthemes counselor exhibits unconditional positive regard, differs in positive ways from previous counseling experiences and counselors, and play and mindfulness activities; (b) counseling is family focused, with subthemes counseling has strengthened the family bond and counseling has helped family identify strengths; and (c) counseling is a process, with subthemes collectively seeing improvement in child’s behavior, learning coping skills, and processing difficult subjects and emotions.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Relationship Distress: Meta-analysis of RCTs with Social Work Implications by Virgil L. Gregory Jr.
Publication Date: 2021

The purpose of the present meta-analysis is twofold: 1) determine the aggregated statistical effect of cognitive-behavioral couples therapy (CBCT) for relationship distress in randomized controlled trials and 2) use the findings to inform clinical social work practice and research. A systematic review was conducted using electronic databases and the reference lists of included studies. The random effects model meta-analysis used a hedges’ g effect size. It is anticipated that cognitive-behavioral/evidence-based social work clinicians and researchers will use the findings to support their clinical practice and advance their clinical research, respectively.

BOOKS

Collected here are books on Relationship Issues from QML's physical collection. Click a link to be taken to the book's page in the library's catalog. From there you can view additional details, check the book's availability, and place a hold. While a wealth of material on Relationship Issues are featured here, the list is not comprehensive. Please email us, to inquire about additional resources.

Remote students: keep in mind that items in QML's physical collection are accessible to you as well. Contact library staff to have an item sent via mail, request scans of needed chapters/sections, or inquire about alternative methods of accessing these books or any other resources in our library.

Brief Strategic Family Therapy by José Szapocznik; Olga Hervis
Call Number: RC488.5 .S982 2020

ISBN: 9781433831706

Publication Date: 2020

Brief strategic family therapy (BSFT) is an evidence‑based intervention for diagnosing and correcting patterns of family
interactions that are linked to distressing experiences and symptoms in children ages 6‑18. This clinical guide shows
practitioners how to transform family interactions from conflictive to collaborative, from habitual to proactive, so that the love
trapped behind the anger can flourish, and family members can re‑bond in loving and mutually caring relationships. Readers of this book will learn how to engage families that are reluctant to become involved in family therapy, and structure a 12 to 16 week intervention that will effect powerful behavioral change.
On the Evolution of Intimacy: a Brief Exploration into the Past, Present, and Future of Gender and Love by Charles Johnston
Call Number: BF575.I5 J64 2019

ISBN: 9781732219021

Publication Date: 2019

In On the Evolution of Intimacy, psychiatrist and futurist Charles Johnston addresses how our times are making possible a critical "growing up" in how we think about intimacy and gender. With intimacy, the changes he describes are as significant as those which brought us Romeo and Juliet–style romantic love. With gender, they take us beyond both the polarizing assumptions of traditional gender roles and the simplistic conclusions of a postmodern unisex ideal. On both fronts, the greater maturity he describes offers that we might understand with a new kind of completeness and sophistication.
Us: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship by Terrence Real
Call Number: HQ734 .R283 2022

ISBN: 9780593233672

Publication Date: 2022

At a time when toxic individualism is rending our society at every level, bestselling author and renowned marriage counselor Terrence Real sees how it poisons intimate relationships in his therapy practice, where he works with couples on the brink of disaster. The good news: Warmer, closer, more passionate relationships are possible if you have the right tools. In his transformative new book Us, Real brilliantly observes how our winner-takes-all culture infiltrates families with devastating results: repetitive fights that go nowhere, or a distant relationship in which partners end up living “alone together.” With deft insight, humor, and charm, Real guides you to transform your relationship into one that’s based on compassion, collaboration, and closeness.
The Craft of Family Therapy by Salvador Minuchin; Michael D. Reiter; Charmaine Borda
Call Number: RC488.5 .M543 2021

ISBN: 9780367628338

Publication Date: 2020

The book begins by teaching readers the fundamentals of family therapy through the lens of rich commentary from Salvador Minuchin on some of his most interesting cases. It then moves on to three detailed supervision transcripts from Minuchin’s former students, illustrating the struggles, fears, and insecurities that new family therapists face and how they can overcome them. In a new, ground-breaking third section, Reiter and Borda share their own lessons from Minuchin as well as expand his influential ideas, emphasizing a strength-based family therapy approach.
Leaving Loneliness: Building Relationships with Yourself and Others by David Narang
Call Number: BF575 .L7 N37 2014

ISBN: 0615860893

Publication Date: 2014

Addressing persistent loneliness requires reflection and action to address the loneliness at its core. This book focuses squarely on what psychologists call your attachment style, an invisible but pervasive approach to relationships that influences how lonely or socially abundant your life is to become. Your attachment style can leave you nourished with love, isolated and longing, or trapped in stormy and unstable relationships, depending on your particular attachment style. Are you ready to work on this? If so, use the reflective activities and begin replacing loneliness with connection.
Relational-Cultural Therapy by Judith V. Jordan
Call Number: RC554 .J67 2018

ISBN: 9781433828263

Publication Date: 2017

Western psychological theories generally depict human development as moving from dependence to independence. In contrast, RCT is built on the premise that, throughout the lifespan, human beings grow through and toward connection, and that we need connections to flourish. This theory views isolation, at both individual and cultural levels, as a major source of suffering. The goal of the relational therapist is to deepen the therapeutic relationship and, ultimately, the client’s relationships outside of therapy. The client’s relational images—positive or negative expectations created by past relationships – influence current relationships, and a negative image can result in disconnections between people and society.
Art Therapy and the Neuroscience of Relationships, Creativity, and Resiliency by Noah Hass Cohen; Joanna Clyde Findlay
Call Number: RC489.A72 H38 2015

ISBN: 9780393710748

Publication Date: 2015

Art Therapy and the Neuroscience of Relationships, Creativity, and Resiliency offers a comprehensive integration of art therapy and interpersonal neurobiology. It showcases the Art Therapy Relational Neuroscience (ATR-N) theoretical and clinical approach, and demonstrates how it can be used to help clients with autobiographical memory, reflecting and creating, touch and space, meaning-making, emotions, and dealing with long-term stress and trauma. The ATR-N approach, first developed by Noah Hass-Cohen, is comprised of six principles: Creative Embodiment, Relational Resonating, Expressive Communicating, Adaptive Responding, Transformative Integrating, and Empathizing and Compassion (CREATE). The chapters in this book are organized around these CREATE principles, demonstrating the dynamic interplay of brain and bodily systems during art therapy.
Couples Therapy Workbook: 30 Guided Conversations to Re-Connect Relationships by Kathleen Mates-Youngman
Call Number: HM1106.M38 2014

ISBN: 1937661466

Publication Date: 2014

The Couples Therapy Workbook is a series of guided questions to promote meaningful couple conversations and build ongoing, connected communication. The core of this unique guide is 30 guided conversations of the most critical relationship struggles. For each of the 30 topics, there is an introduction, goal-setting strategies and 10 scripted questions to ask each other—all presented in an easy-to-use mindful style. Set in a weekly format over 30 days but can be tailored to any timeframe. Designed to be used to couples, and also by therapists.
Couples Therapy Homework Planner by Gary M. Schultheis; Steffanie Alexander O'Hanlon; Bill O'Hanlon; David J. Berghuis
Call Number: RC488.5 .S385 2010

ISBN: 9781119230687

Publication Date: 2015

This book provides you with an array of ready-to-use, between-session assignments designed to fit virtually every therapeutic mode. This easy-to-use sourcebook features: 71 ready-to-copy exercises covering the most common issues encountered by couples in therapy, such as financial conflict, infidelity, work/home role strain, and separation and divorce. A quick-reference format―the interactive assignments are grouped by behavioral problems including improving communications, handling parenting problems, and resolving sexual issues. Treatment Planners cover all the necessary elements for developing formal treatment plans, including detailed problem definitions, long-term goals, short-term objectives, therapeutic interventions, and DSM diagnoses.

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