Making Divorce Work: A Clinical Approach to the Binuclear Family

by Constance Ahrons

In a time when fifty percent of American marriages end in divorce, therapists frequently encounter families struggling with the aftermath of the breakup and the adjustment to new family constellations when one or both ex-spouses remarries. As old bonds are broken and new ones formed through remarriage (and the birth of additional children in these subsequent marriages), how do ex-spouses who don't get along manage their shared parenting obligations? And what can therapists do to help such families shift their focus from the negative "broken home" syndrome to the more promising notion of the "binuclear" family?In this compelling video, renowned therapist Constance Ahrons demonstrates her groundbreaking clinical approach to working with divorced families.An immensely useful and skillfully presented resource, the program draws upon the clinical expertise of Dr. Ahrons and producer Steve Lerner, practicing family therapist and founding director of Menninger Video Productions.Bringing to life a case situation based on actual clinical material, the video depicts a series of productive and poignant therapy sessions with an entire binuclear family--the divorced mother and father, their two sons, and the new wife of the children's father. Dr. Ahrons aptly demonstrates how over time, she gradually brings these reluctant family members together to begin forging a more agreeable, cooperative approach to parenting.PRACTITIONERS AND STUDENTS WILL How to assist divorced couples in overcoming their resistance to meeting together in a therapeutic context to address their children's problems* How to help binuclear families break out of unproductive patterns and explore new territory in cooperative relationships.* How to foster constructive, non-blaming conversations between ex-partners about joint child rearing issues.* How to help ex-spouses develop a long-term view in which, though separated, they retain a sense of kinship in fulfilling their joint roles as parents.THE VIDEOTAPE ALSO PROVIDES INSIGHT Helping children escape loyalty conflicts between their divorced parents* Normalizing and managing issues related to step-parenting. * Helping divorced couples stay focused on current and future issues instead of becoming mired in the disputes of the past* Promoting mutual respect and empathy among former adversaries within the binuclear family.A VALUABLE TOOL mental health practitioners, trainees, and students, particularly those in family, couple, and child therapy and counseling.

Hardcover

First published August 8, 1995