This best selling book has been thoroughly updated to reflect a current and in-depth look at the field of family therapy. It retains its unique approach of leading the reader developmentally from understanding how families function to using therapeutic techniques that will help them change. Extremely organized and well written, this edition offers comprehensive coverage of all major theories of family therapy as well as the latest information about associations dedicated to promoting family therapy and means by which therapists can best assist families in entering and being successful in treatment. A popular four-part format organizes content in a logical, developmental format: 1) Understanding Families, 2) Therapeutic Approaches to Working with Families, 3) Special Populations in Family Therapy, and 4) Professional Issues and Research in Family Therapy. For individuals with either a personal or professional interest in marriage and family counseling.
Samuel T. Gladding is professor of counselor education, director of the counselor education program, and the associate provost at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He has been a practicing counselor in both public and private agencies since 1971. His leadership in the field of counseling includes service as
- president of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES),
- president of the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW),
- president of Chi Sigma Iota (international academic and professional counseling honor society),
- vice president of the Counseling Association for Humanistic Education and Development (C-AHEAD), and
- president of the Alabama Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.
Dr. Gladding is the former editor of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work and the ASGW newsletter. He is also the author of more than 100 professional publications. In 1999, he was cited as being in the top 1% of contributors to the Journal of Counseling and Development for the 15-year period from 1978 to 1993. Some of Gladding's most recent books include The Counseling Dictionary (2001); Counseling: A Comprehensive Profession, Fourth Edition (2000); Group Work: A Counseling Specialty, Third Edition (1999); The Creative Arts in Counseling, Second Edition (1998); and this edition of Family Therapy: History, Theory, and Practice (2002).
Dr. Gladding's previous academic appointments have been at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Fairfield University (Connecticut), and Rockingham Community College (Wentworth, North Carolina). He was also director of Children's Services at the Rockingham County (North Carolina) Mental Health Center. Cladding received his degrees from Wake Forest (B.A., M.A. Ed.), Yale (M.A.R.), and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro (Ph.D.). He is a National Certified Counselor, a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and a Licensed Professional Counselor (North Carolina). He is a former member of the Alabama Board of Examiners in Counseling and a current member of the Research and Assessment Corporation for Counseling (RACC).
Dr. Gladding is the recipient of numerous honors, including
- the Chi Sigma Iota Thomas J. Sweeney professional Leadership Award,
- the Counseling Association for Humanistic Education and Development Joseph W and Lucille U. Hopis Outstanding Publication Award,
- the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Professional Leadership Award, and
- the Association for Specialists in Group Work Eminent Career Award.
He is also a Fellow of the Association for Specialists in Group Work.
Dr. Gladding is married to the former Claire Tillson and the father of three children―Ben, Nate, and Tim. Outside of counseling, he enjoys tennis, swimming, and humor.
