This innovative book examines how family health and well-being have been impacted by increased alienation from the natural world and calls for greater incorporation of ecological issues into therapeutic practice. Positioning environmental activism as a critical social justice issue, the book highlights the unique opportunities for family therapists to promote reconnection, healing, and sustainability by integrating attention to nature and the environment into their work. Contributors also recommend clinical ideas, strategies, and interventions that can be employed as part of this approach to therapy, research, and teaching.

Among the topics covered:

• Developmental benefits of childhood experiences with nature
• Applications of indigenous healing methods in Western practice
• Wilderness and adventure therapy immersion
• Clinical, educational, and supervisory applications of an eco-informed approach to therapy

The first work of its kind to address the overlap in environmental and family sustainability in the field of family therapy, Eco-Informed Practice: Family Therapy in an Age of Ecological Peril fills a significant gap in family therapy literature. Students and professionals in mental health fields will find this book an enlightening perspective on family therapy as well as a set of useful guidelines for implementing this exciting new approach in clinical practice.

Autorentext

Tracey A. Laszloffy, PhD is the Director of the Center for Relationship Healing in southeastern Connecticut where she also maintains a full time private practice and serves as a faculty coach specializing in supporting faculty of color who are on the tenure track. Dr. Laszloffy received her master's and doctoral degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy from Syracuse University in New York. She has over 17 years of experience as a therapist and has been a professor of family therapy at Syracuse University, the University of Connecticut, Seton Hill University, and Alliant International University at San Diego. Dr. Laszloffy has presented workshops and seminars nationally and internationally on healing the wounds of trauma and oppression, working therapeutically with marginalized populations, and promoting culturally sensitive approaches to therapy. She has published extensively in academic journals and has co-authored three books. She also is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in multiple states (AZ, ,CT, NC, FL), and is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor.

Markie Louise Christianson (L. C.) Twist, Ph.D., is the Program Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Sex Therapy Program, and Associate Professor in the Human Development and Family Studies Department and Marriage and Family Therapy Program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Dr. Twist is also an Affiliate of the Wisconsin HOPE (Harvesting Opportunities for Postsecondary Education) Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Markie is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (IA, NV) and Mental Health Counselor (IA), American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Clinical Fellow and Approved Supervisor, and an American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists Certified Sexuality Educator. Markie is co-author of the books, The Couple and Family Technology Framework: Intimate Relationships in a Digital Age, and the second edition of Focused Genograms: Attachment-Focused Assessment of Individuals, Couples, and Families. Markie serves on the editorial board, and as Virtual Issues Editor, of the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, and is an editorial board member for the Journal of Sexual and Relationship Therapy, Journal of Feminist Family Therapy: An International Forum and the Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy.

Inhalt

Introduction.- What is An Eco-Informed Approach to Family Therapy?.- Evaluating How Mental, Physical and Relational Health Are Tied to Ecological Issues.- Eco-Informed Couple and Family Therapy, Systems Thinking and Social Justice.- Children and Nature.- Clinical Applications of an Eco-Informed Approach to Therapy: A Systemic Perspective.- Wilderness and Adventure Therapy Immersion.- Indigenous Healing: Mental Health and the Path of the Condor.- Family Therapy and Eco-Activism.- Incorporating an Eco-Informed Orientation into Family Therapy Education.