Treating Adult Children of Alcoholics: A Developmental Perspective

Fülszöveg

TREATING
ADULT CHILDREN
DF ALCOHOLICS
In this companion volume to her
landmark Treating the Alcoholic, Dr
Stephanie Brown describes and
develops in-depth a theoretical link
between the childhood experience
of living with an alcoholic parent and
resulting disturbances in adult func-
tioning. She describes the traumatic
family environment of children of
alcoholics, and discusses symptoms
of post-traumatic stress disorder,
anxiety disorder, and depression that
are likely to result from growing up in
such an environment.
In Treating Adult Children of Alco-
holics, Dr. Brown also explores the
impact of the environment and
the nature of relationships within the
environmental context on the child's
personal development, focusing on
the developmental processes of
attachment and identity formation.
Further, she examines ways in which
the traumatic environment necessi-
tates defensive maneuvers, includ-
ing denial, which characterize the
family and interfere... Tovább

Fülszöveg

TREATING
ADULT CHILDREN
DF ALCOHOLICS
In this companion volume to her
landmark Treating the Alcoholic, Dr
Stephanie Brown describes and
develops in-depth a theoretical link
between the childhood experience
of living with an alcoholic parent and
resulting disturbances in adult func-
tioning. She describes the traumatic
family environment of children of
alcoholics, and discusses symptoms
of post-traumatic stress disorder,
anxiety disorder, and depression that
are likely to result from growing up in
such an environment.
In Treating Adult Children of Alco-
holics, Dr. Brown also explores the
impact of the environment and
the nature of relationships within the
environmental context on the child's
personal development, focusing on
the developmental processes of
attachment and identity formation.
Further, she examines ways in which
the traumatic environment necessi-
tates defensive maneuvers, includ-
ing denial, which characterize the
family and interfere with the course
of normal, individual development.
Her approach thus draws on both
developmental and systems theory
perspectives.
(continued on back flap)
(continued from front flap)
Dr Brown also outlines a process of
recovery that involves the recon-
struction of one's "story" of the past
to include the reality of parental alco-
holism. The process of recovery fol-
lows the same stages outlined for the
alcoholic in the previous volume. This
process is also developmental and
focuses on core issues of attach-
ment, identity formation, and
individuation.
For practitioners who work with
patients and clients who have lived
through this experience, Treating
Adult Children of Alcoholics is a long-
awaited, practical, and original addi-
tion to the literature in this field.
About the author
Stephanie Brown, PhD, is Director
of Family Research at Merritt Pe-
ralta Institute in Oakland, California
and a clinician, consultant, lecturer
and author in the field of alcoholism.
She founded the Alcohol Clinic at
Stanford University in 1977 and
served as its director for eight years.
Dr. Brown served on the California
State Alcoholism Advisory Board
and was a founding board member of
the National Association for Children
of Alcoholics. Dr. Brown is a licensed
psychologist with over 15 years of
clinical experience. She is an interna-
tionally recognized expert on the
treatment of alcoholics and their
families and is especially well known
for her pioneering work in treatment
of adult children of alcoholics. Vissza