Chronic pain affects every facet of a patient's life, and nowhere is this more evident than in the complex arena of family life. Chronic Pain and Family: a Clinical Perspective examines typical family issues associated with prolonged illness, offering realistic ways to approach them in therapy.

Informed by current practice and his own experience, noted author/clinician Ranjan Roy brings fresh insights to common pain scenarios and therapeutic impasses, and provides a framework for assessing marital and family relationships when chronic pain is a defining factor. Clinicians will get not only a clearer understanding of sensitive issues, but also effective strategies for engaging clients without turning them off.

Coverage includes:

• Meanings of pain in relationships

• "Who Does What?": exploring changes in family roles

• Resistance to treatment: why it occurs and how to work through it

• Health concerns and other burdens on well spouses and children

• Sexuality, domestic abuse, and other "silent" issues

• Case examples demonstrating therapy step-by-step with a range of couples and families

  For therapists and social workers who deal with this growing population of patients, Chronic Pain and Family: A Clinical Perspective stands at a unique intersection of pain/disability and family resources. Roy's recognition of the family's changing demographics together with his synthesis of clinical knowledge make the book suitable for graduate-level courses as well.

Focuses on pain in a family context and as a family issue An increased research interest in this topic provides a substantial database of knowledge on which to base a review One comprehensive sourcebook that will synthesize the diverse findings, which will help clinicians studying or working in this specialized area

Autorentext
Ranjan Roy is Professor of Social Work and Clinical Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. He is also a Consultant (Scientific) in the Department of Anethesia, St. Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg. He has authored and edited 11 books and published more than 80 scientific papers and chapters. He has been an invited lecturer on the psychological and social aspects of chronic pain. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Science and Humanities.

Inhalt
The Changing Nature of Families in the West.- The Impact of Chronic Pain on Marriage and Family.- The Health of the Partners (Spouses) and the Children.- Chronic Pain and Sexual Relations.- The Meaning and Function of Pain in Marriage: The Interactional Perspective.- What Happens to Communication?.- Who Does What? An Exploration of Family Roles.- What Happens to the Children?.- Partner Abuse and Chronic Pain.- Issues in Couple Therapy.- Family Therapy.- Some Further Thoughts.