Reunification Family Therapy: A Treatment Manual

Jan Faust, PhD, ABPP, is Professor at the College of Psychology Faculty, Nova Southeastern University(NSU), Fort Lauderdale, FL. Dr. Faust developed the Child and Adolescent Traumatic Stress Program,which is a clinical, training, and research facility serving children exposed to traumatic events. Shehas conducted various research projects, and currently she is conducting treatment outcome researchon treatment efficacy for families in reunification therapy, parent empathy training, and children with posttraumatic stress disorder. She has published many articles in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in the field of child, adolescent, and family psychology.

Although written primarily for the mental health professional, this is an excellent primer for family law attorneys seeking to gain a real command of the subtleties and nuances of this highly sensitive subject matter. Written in plain, easily digestible language, Dr. Faust provides a thorough and thoughtful road map to first understanding the nature of the breakdown in the parent-child relationship, the spectrum of its root causes, and methodologies for the most accurate assessment before arming the reader with detailed, step-by-step approaches to remedying this painful and heart-wrenching schism in the nuclear family. As an attorney practicing exclusively in the area of marital and family law for nearly 30 years, I am thrilled to finally have an authoritative resource that I can rely on when counseling clients and educating the courts on issues involving fragmented families."; Peter L. Gladstone, Esq, President of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Florida Chapter; Former Chair of the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar ;"This book is an extremely helpful addition to the small body of literature that addresses a very difficult family therapy issue - repairing ruptures in parent-child relationships. Dr. Faust offers a road map for reunification therapy in multiple contexts, applying developmental psychology and evidence-based practices to this vexing issue, and sharing practical tools to help clinicians apply treatment protocols. This is a must-read for any clinician providing reunification therapy." ; Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP, Director of the Center of Excellence for Children, Families and the Law, William James College, Newton, MA, USA; "A powerful resource for those professionals assisting in the process of reunifying parents with their children. Dr. Faust writes with clarity and common sense."; Alfred J. Horowitz, Circuit Court Judge in the Family Division, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA.; Jan Faust’s book … is a well‐organized, evidence‐based resource for clinicians who intervene in one of the most challenging and complex problems in high conflict shared custody‐parent‐child contact problems. She provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for this work, which is grounded in Family Systems, and details more specific interventions that address individual, relationship and larger system issues. The addenda contain useful tools and resources to structure treatment, including a 14‐session Fundamental Treatment Plan. I now recommend this manual in all of my professional trainings.; Reviewed by Matthew J. Sullivan, PhD, in Family Court Review, 57, 118-120 (2019)- The full review is available at https://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12399

• Table of Contents1: Introduction to Family Structure and Fragmentationof the Family2: Bases and Elements of Reunification TherapyMechanisms Responsible for Breaches in theParent-Child RelationshipWhy Does the Need Exist for Reunification Therapy?Why Not Let the Child Decide? Application ofDevelopmental PsychologySpontaneous ReunificationTreatment Selection Guided by Empirical Evidenceand Specific Characteristics of FamilyReunification Therapy: Terms and Related Concepts3: Reunification Therapy as a Specific Form ofEmpirically Based Family TherapyWhat Reunification Therapy Is NOTReunification Therapy: A Composite TreatmentCognitive and Behavioral DomainsHumanistic (Client-Centered) DomainSystemic Family Therapy Domain4: Pretreatment Decisions and ProcessAppropriateness for Reunification Therapy in MilitaryDeployment and Institutionalization CasesAppropriateness for Reunification Therapy inFamily Law and Guardianship CasesEthical and Legal ConsiderationsInformed Consent: Statement of UnderstandingThe Contract, Court Order, or Agreed OrderDo No HarmAvoiding Multiple RelationshipsAvoiding Making Custodial and Time-SharingRecommendationsPracticing Within the ScopeCommunicating With Attorneys and AlliedProfessionals Prior to TreatmentWhen Reunification Therapy Is InappropriateNecessary Therapist Characteristics5: Working With the ChildExplanation of the Reunification Process to theChild or AdolescentEstablishing Effective Working Relationships: TheBuy In, The ChildCapitalizing on Children's Natural Curiosity"Are You My Mother?"; "Are you My Father?"Assessing and Addressing Resistance: The ChildSiblings: A Double-Edged SwordDeveloping an In-Session and Out-of-SessionSafety PlanAssessing Resistance of Others and DeterminingOutside InfluencesCritical Collaboration With Other Case-SpecificProfessionalsChildren's Individual Differences and SpecialAbilities6: Working With the Non-Time-Sharing ParentInitial Therapy ConsiderationsAnger and BlameParents Who Have Been " Victimized" and/or MaintainTheir Victim RoleParents Without Parenting LeverageTemporary Abdication of ParentingParents Without Adequate Parenting Competenciesand Self-ConfidencesFear of Rage, Retaliation, and Rejection of the Childand the Alternate ParentGround Rules for Non-Time-Sharing Parents7: Working With the Time-Sharing ParentResistance Versus Intentional InterferenceEnhancement of Time-Sharing Parents' Engagementin Reunification TherapyTime-Sharing Parents Require Empathy andSupport TooClosing Parenting LoopholesThe Buy-InSubterfugeTherapist At Risk of Being Thrown Under the Bus8: Conjoint Sessions and Effecting ChangeInitial Non-Time-Sharing Parent-Child ContactStaying Present-FocusedInstructing Parents Not to "Take the Bait": Children'sAttempts at Triangulating ParentsPresenting a Unified Front"More Is More"Homework: A Necessary ToolUtilizing Interparental Electronic Communicationsto Effectuate ChangeObstacles During Family TreatmentIncluding Other Professionals in the Process toEffectuate ChangeChildren Who Cannot Separate From Time-SharingParent for Reunification TherapyUse of Ancillary Strategies to Enhance ContactDeveloping New TraditionsEnhancing Attachment: Photography and VideotapingPlanned Termination of Reunification Therapy9: Legal Processes During and After TreatmentTranslucent Legal Agendas (AKA Not-So-TransparentAgendas)"Less Is More"10: Special TopicsPreparing Children When Reunification Is NotPossibleReunification Therapy With Other Primary CaretakersReunification Therapy When Physical Distance Isa FactorImmersion Interventions: Workshops and RetreatsReunification of Infants and Very Young ChildrenWith Their Parents11: Fundamental Treatment PlanReunification Therapy for Dissolved ParentalRelationshipsImportant NotesAppendicesA: Reunification Therapy: Motivational InterviewingQuestionsB: Reunification Therapy: Behavioral ActivationC: Empathy Training for Parents