ABSTRACT

Family estrangement and the stigma attached to it are complex phenomena affecting a great number of people in various ways. In response, Navigating Family Estrangement offers a deep dive into the reality of being estranged in contemporary society.

This practical guide looks at how to effectively help estranged adults achieve better outcomes from a variety of perspectives. The author explores the difficulties of working with estrangement, including professional roadblocks such as the six biases that prevent connecting with a client's experience. He delves into the unique seven-step Estrangement Inquiry Model that aims to provide important insight into a client's family history, map out the present estrangement dynamic, and highlight the types of interventions to support their needs. Combining research from a range of different fields with the author's decade of clinical experience, the book is supplemented with five comprehensive case studies to demonstrate the practical strategies that address estrangement challenges.

This book offers a clear and collaborative approach to a topic that will be relevant for a range of professionals, including psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors and social workers.

chapter |8 pages

Introduction

part 1|34 pages

The Never-Ending Story

chapter Chapter 1|6 pages

Context and Complexity

chapter Chapter 2|3 pages

Signs and Labels

chapter Chapter 3|18 pages

The Impact Triad

chapter Chapter 4|3 pages

Reflections on Reconciliations

part 2|22 pages

The Support Dilemma

chapter Chapter 5|12 pages

Therapeutic Roadblocks

chapter Chapter 6|6 pages

Exploring what Works

part 3|70 pages

Navigating Estrangement

chapter Chapter 7|20 pages

The Model

chapter Chapter 8|46 pages

The Toolbox

part 4|41 pages

Case Studies

chapter Chapter 9|7 pages

Living on the Edge (Parental/Sibling Estrangement)

chapter Chapter 10|7 pages

The People vs. Estrangement (Adult Son Estrangement)

chapter Chapter 11|7 pages

The Long Goodbye (Parental Estrangement)

chapter Chapter 12|7 pages

Perpetually Sorry (Sibling Estrangement)

chapter Chapter 13|7 pages

Grief and Grievances (Adult Daughter Estrangement)

chapter |4 pages

Conclusion

Widening the Estrangement Lens