THE ADOPTION LIFE CYCLE: THE CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES THROUGH THE YEARS, by Elinor B. Rosenberg.  Book, 209 pages.  1992.  This book provides a framework for understanding the important developmental tasks which span the lifetimes of all those involved in the adoption process.

BLENDED FAMILIES, from Linkletter Films. Video. 2000. This videotape uses real members of a blended family and a family therapist to present information about the special concerns of single parents. The video stresses communication among all family members. English.

CAREPOOLING: REKINDLING A LOST ART, by Paula C. Lowe, M.A., C.F.L.E. Audio. 1995. Audio and guide discuss the isolation of families who are caregivers for elders or children in the community. Describes communication skills caregivers need for sharing the burden and asking for help as opposed to purchasing day care, child or elder care.

CHILD CUSTODY: BUILDING AGREEMENTS THAT WORK, by Mimi E. Lyster.  Book.  1999.  This book discusses how to overcome obstacles and build win-win custody agreements that everyone, including the children, can live with. The book also includes practical solutions to many issues surrounding separation and divorce (i.e., healthcare, education, religious training, holidays and travel, parenting styles, etc.)

CHILDREN AND DIVORCE, by Dr. Judith Wallerstein. Audio. 1991. Audiotape and guide. Helps participants meet the objectives of identifying symptoms/concerns of children, preschool through adolescents, who experience separation /divorce in their family; developing preventive education opportunities for families experiencing divorce; and helping parents plan strategies they can use to ease the stress caused by the separation /divorce.

CHILDREN OF DIVORCE, by Fred Barnes. Video. 1997. This video shows interviews with experts in the study of children of divorce and also with the children themselves. It portrays the negative effects of divorce on the children and encourages parents to keep the marriage together if they can. Closed-captioned. English.

A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH TO THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE, by Paul Fine. Book. 1993. A care-focused, network-oriented approach to foster care for older children who have complex biogenic and socially derived developmental disorders.

DON’T FORGET THE CHILDREN, by Dallas Young Lawyers Association. Video. 1993. Lawyers, judges, and other professionals discuss how the court system works in divorce cases. They speak of the emotional distress for children and need for a child advocate.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT STEP FAMILIES, by Bruce Glassman. Book. 1994. Describes how death or divorce changes a family, adjusting to new family needs and new siblings. Plainly written in large print.

FAMILY CHALLENGES, by Karen DeBord, Ph.D.. Video. 1993. A video for employees and students. It provides a starting point for discussion on changes in family structures, choices, and lifestyles, and gives historical background and images of families today. Includes at-risk families, single parent, elder care, health care, and teen parents.

FOR CHILDREN’S SAKE: THE PROMISE OF FAMILY PRESERVATION, by Joan Barthel. Curriculum. 1992. A book which defines and describes family preservation.

THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN: ADOPTION, VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1, SPRING 1993, Richard E. Behrman, M.D., Editor. Journal. 1993. Contents include: Overview and Major Recommendations; Antecedents of American Adoption; Statistics on Adoption in the United States; Adoption Law; Adoption of Children with Special Needs; Outcomes of Adoption of Children with Special Needs; International Adoption: Current Status and Future Prospects; Outcomes of Transracial Adoption; Perspectives on Open Adoption; Risks and Benefits of Open Adoption; Agency Versus Independent Adoption: The Case for Agency Adoption; The Case for Independent Adoption; Long Term Outcomes in Adoption; Revisiting the Issues: Adoption of Drug-Exposed Children; Child Indicators: Children in Poverty.

THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN: CHILDREN AND DIVORCE, VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1, SPRING 1994, Richard E. Behrman, M.D., Editor. Journal. 1994. Contents include: Children and Divorce: Overview and Analysis; Epidemiology of Divorce; History and Current Status of Divorce in the United States; Historical Perspective and Current Trends in the Legal Process of Divorce; Financial Impact of Divorce on Children and Their Families; Child Support Orders: A Perspective on Reform; Child Support Orders: Problems with Enforcement; The Determination of Child Custody; Life-Span Adjustment of Children to Their Parents’ Divorce; High-Conflict Divorce; A Feminist Perspective on Divorce; The Role of the Father After Divorce; Immunization of Young Children; Children and National Health Care Reform.

GOING IT ALONE: PREPARING FOR SINGLE PARENTHOOD, by Sarah Cover Calwell. Video. 1994. Parents discuss issues such as custody, money, resources, planning, emotional needs, and realistic expectations and skills for coping with a child alone.

GROWING FAMILIES CURRICULUM, by MELD. Curriculum. 1992. Even though this curriculum is written for single mothers with children age 3-5, it has been found that the materials adapt to parent groups as well. Curriculum has many meeting activities on a variety of topics covering each in detail, including background information and facilitator guidance and hints, with ready-to-copy handouts.

A GUIDEBOOK FOR RAISING FOSTER CHILDREN, by Susan McNair Blatt, M.D. Book, 240 pages.  2000.  This book addresses many of the problems that may arise in foster care. The book contains discussions of those problems with suggestions for resolving them, including when to call a professional. It is intended as a resource for anyone involved with the foster care system and particularly families raising foster children.

HOW TO WIN AS A STEP FAMILY (SECOND EDITION), by Emily Visher, Ph.D., and John Visher, M.D. Book. 1982. Advice, support, and insight into families in transition. Discussion of vital questions for blended families from pre-marriage to marriage.

MAKING PEACE IN YOUR STEPFAMILY, by Harold H. Bloomfield. Book. 1993. Shows how to strengthen marriage, communication, and extended family relationships, as well as ways to share discipline, roles, rules, and rites of family. Covers various crisis situations and losses.

MY FAMILY IS CHANGING, by Missouri Bar Association and Tennessee Young Lawyers’ Conference. Video. 1993. A dramatization of a family with 2 children going through divorce. Parents explain to their children rationally, unemotionally, what will happen, how it will happen, as they go through the process. Lawyers are seen explaining to kids the legal process of divorce. Ages 10 and up.

MY KIND OF FAMILY: A BOOK FOR KIDS IN SINGLE PARENT HOMES, by Michelle Lash, M.Ed., A.T.R., Sally Ives Laughridge, Ph.D., David Fassler, M.D. Book. 1990. Uses children’s drawings and their comments about their personal situations to allow readers to express, explore, and understand the issues and feelings associated with single-parent homes.

NURTURING STEP-FAMILY DEVELOPMENT, by John Visher, M.D., and Emily Visher, Ph.D. Audio. 1993. Objectives include: develop an understanding for the process/timeline for healthy step-family development; identify developmental tasks a step-family must accomplish in order to establish a new family identity; potential stresses/challenges step-families often face. Identifies the Step-Family Association of America as a resource.

POSITIVE DISCIPLINE FOR PARENTING IN RECOVERY - FACILITATOR’S GUIDE, by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Carol Delzer. Curriculum. Contains over forty activities that empower families and break co-dependent patterns. Can be used with the book Positive Discipline for Parents in Recovery, a resource for people in recovery who have children and want to break the unhealthy and discouraging patterns brought on by chemical abuse.

POSITIVE DISCIPLINE FOR SINGLE PARENTING, by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Carol Delzer. Book. 1994. Provides reassuring answers to questions and concerns about single parent’s social life, children’s emotional stability, etc. Help children to gain confidence and learn problem-solving skills.

POSITIVE DISCIPLINE FOR SINGLE PARENTS - FACILITATOR’S GUIDE, by Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Carol Delzer. Curriculum. A process to teach single parents the skills they need to help their children learn to be responsible, respectful, and resourceful. Is intended to be used with the manual Teaching Parenting, by Lynn Lott and Jane Nelsen.

PRISON PATCH PARENTING CURRICULUM, by Susan L. Henry. Curriculum. 1994. A curriculum for parenting classes designed for Missouri Correctional facilities for women on behalf of Prison Patch. Participatory in nature.

PRISONERS AS PARENTS: BUILDING PARENTING SKILLS ON THE INSIDE, Lisa Derman, Editor. Booklet/Pamphlet. 1993. A guide for parents and professionals interested in developing and running parent education and support programs for incarcerated parents.

PRISONERS, FAMILIES: STARTING OVER, by D.J. Boyse, M.S. Audio. 1992. Objectives include: identifying theories/strategies designed to help the inmate and the inmate’s family to redesign their lives; becoming aware of characteristics of the criminal mentality; developing strategies for family life education that support these high-risk families and offer skills that are needed to strengthen the family.

PUTTING KIDS FIRST, by Michael L. Oddenino. Book. 1995. Provides divorced and separated parents with tools and insight in dealing with the challenging demands of post-divorce parenting. Examples of legal papers and illustrations.

SHOULD WE LIVE TOGETHER? WHAT YOUNG ADULTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COHABITATION BEFORE MARRIAGE: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH, by David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Popopenoe. Booklet/Pamphlet. January 1999. This booklet reviews the available social science evidence which indicates that cohabitation can pose clear and present dangers for women and children.

SINGLE FAMILIES, from Linkletter Films. Video. 2000. This videotape uses real members of a single family and a family therapist to present information about the special concerns of single parents. The video stresses becoming self-sufficient and focusing on personal emotional health. English.

STEPPING TOGETHER, by G. Bosch, M.A., D.R. Gebeke, M.S., M.Ed., and C.M. Meski, M.S. Curriculum. 1992. Provides information in assisting step-families as they create their new structure. Provides framework for the development of a healthy step-family. Addresses common barriers to step-family harmony. Assists individuals and families in effectively managing the conflict inherent in step-families and provides a neutral environment for the development of a healthy step-family.

STRENGTHENING STEP-FAMILIES, by Elizabeth Einstein and Linda Albert. Curriculum. 1986. Helps step-families learn to communicate better, resolve conflicts, and structure their home life to improve their relationship. 3 audiocassettes, a leader guide, and a participant book are included.

STRENGTHENING STEP-FAMILIES, by Elizabeth Einstein. Audio. 1996. Guided self-study program focuses on understanding the step-family from a developmental theoretical framework to realize that a healthy step-family is a process which takes more time than most realize. Assessing where the family is in this normal process makes for more effective clinical intervention.

SUCCESSFUL PARENTING: PART SEVEN: THE SINGLE PARENT FAMILY: A CHALLENGE FOR PARENTS, by Barbara Lynn Taylor and Robin Richards. Curriculum. 1999. This video and accompanying facilitator’s guide detail the single parent family from the point of view of the parent. It contains information about how to parent effectively and talk compassionately with children about issues like death and divorce. English.

SUCCESSFUL PARENTING: PART SIX: THE SINGLE PARENT FAMILY: A CHALLENGE FOR CHILDREN, by Barbara Lynn Taylor and Robin Richards. Curriculum. 1997. This video and facilitator’s guide detail the single parent family experience from the point of view of the children. It provides children with answers to difficult questions about growing up in a single-parent household. English.

TEACHING FAMILY REUNIFICATION: A SOURCEBOOK, by Robin Warsh, Anthony Maluccio, and Barbara A. Pine. Curriculum. 1994. Rethinking family reunification. Guidelines for policy, programs, practice and training. Contains curriculum models and handouts intended for use in training service providers working with families. It provides conceptual tools setting forth the range of competencies required for effective people.

THERAPY WITH STEP-FAMILIES, by Emily B. Visher, Ph.D., and John S. Visher, Ph.D. Book. 1996. Authors work from the view that for family therapy purposes step-families be regarded simply as different, not better or worse than the nuclear family. Spans a large area of step-family integration; working with family differences and areas of difficulty as helping the children, loyalty conflicts, intervention, and so on.

UNDERSTANDING STEP-FAMILIES: THEIR STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS, Craig A. Everett, Ph.D., Editor. Book. 1995. Examines the dynamics and resources available within the complex variables of a step family system. Offers theoretical approaches to understanding step-family typologies and behaviors, specific clinical models for assessment and intervention, and more empirically based findings regarding parent-child interactions.

VICKI LANSKY’S DIVORCE BOOK FOR PARENTS: HELPING YOUR CHILDREN COPE WITH DIVORCE AND ITS AFTERMATH, by Vicki Lansky. Book. 1996. Advice to parents on how to help their children. Know what normal behavior to expect, language to use and not to use, and useful tips to get children through this difficult time.

WHOLE LIFE ADOPTION BOOK, THE: REALISTIC ADVICE FOR BUILDING A HEALTHY ADOPTIVE FAMILY, by Jayne E. Schooler. Book. 1993. The author is a professional who works with adoptive families and is an adoptive mother. The purpose of this book is to acquaint prospective and new adoptive parents with issues surrounding early steps in adoptive process, to validate concerns of families in the middle of child-rearing years, and to offer direction to parents facing crucial transitional years of adolescence and young childhood.

WORKING WITH ADOPTIVE PARENTS, by Dr. Connie Dawson. Audio. 1997. Guided self-study about increasing effectiveness in working with adoptive parents. Sensitive to issues of the differences in infants, older child, and step family adoption. Describes special challenges of adoptive parents. Lists important developmental tasks for adoptive parents.

YOUR RIGHT TO CHILD CUSTODY, VISITATION, AND SUPPORT, by Mary L. Boland.  Book, 324 pages.  1999.  This book is designed to let parents know their legal rights and to help them take their cases through the court system. Written by an attorney, it includes such issues as factors in deciding custody and visitation, calculating and collecting support, and appealing the judgment.

YOUR RIGHT TO CHILD CUSTODY, VISITATION, AND SUPPORT, by Mary L. Boland.  Book, 328 pages.  2000.  This book is designed to let parents know their legal rights and to help them take their cases through the court system. Written by an attorney, it includes such issues as factors in deciding custody and visitation, calculating and collecting support, and appealing the judgment.  Second edition.