Revised and updated from the original, this honest and forthwright look at families of all shapes and sizes will help you down the path of healing (whether you know you need it or whether you're just not sure).
Unlocking Your Family Patterns combines decades worth of counseling wisdom and pastoral care insights into this one practical resource. Your past may hurt, and your family's patterns may have left emotional scars, but your future has not been laid in stone yet. There is hope for healing, there are lessons to learn, and there are paths toward family health.
Using clinical, biblical and practical examples to help you uncover the patterns your family has lived in, this book might lead you toward the family u-turn you've been looking for.
Table of Contents
Part 1 Dysfunctional Families of the Bible
1. David and His Family Tree — Earl Henslin, Psy.D.
2. Isaac and His Family Tree — Dave Carder, MA.
3. Jesus Had Family Issues Too — Earl Henslin, Psy.D.
Part 2 Contributing Factors in Family Dysfunction
4. Passing the Torch: The Multigenerational Transmission Process — Dave Carder, MA.
5. Guilt-ridden Baggage: The Role of Religious Shame — Earl Henslin, Psy.D.
6. Blest Be the Tie That Binds: Local Church "Family" Patterns — Dave Carder, MA.
Part 3 Family Health: How to Do It Right When You Learned It Wrong
7. Learning to Bond—John Townsend, Ph.D.
8. Learning to Set Boundaries — John Townsend, Ph.D.
9. Learning About Goodness/Badness — Henry Cloud, Ph.D.
10. Learning to Achieve Adulthood — Henry Cloud, Ph.D.
11. Facing Life's "Unfair Assignments" — Dave Carder, MA
Appendix A:
Helping the Helpers: Dysfunctional Families in "The Ministry" — Alice Brawand, MA.
Appendix B:
Resource List from the Authors
Appendix C:
Patterns Predicting Pastoral Infidelity
Appendix D:
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
Written by long standing friends of the AACC, these seminary trained clinicians bring their best insights to Unlocking Your Family Patterns. These guys know what they are talking about and this book will guide you on life’s journey so that you don’t repeat what you didn’t like about your some of your own family experiences. Starting with famous families of the Bible, you will begin to understand why each of us, in our own families, need daily help to do things differently. Unlocking Your Family Patterns will walk you thru that journey.
Dr. Tim Clinton, president, American Association of Christian Counselors