Men do not often come for counseling because they are having difficulties with being a father, but many of the presenting problems and reasons for seeking help can be related to the roles and responsibilities of fathering. The dramatic shift in societal expectations of being a father can often leave men confused as they navigate conflicting views, demands, and responsibilities. Counseling Fathers is designed to bridge the gap between fathers and professional helpers. This book provides the mental health practitioners with a guide for working with fathers in therapy, whether the issues of fathering are at the center of the discussions or in the background. The organization of the book speaks to the variety of today's fathers and the issues that they face. Part I provides an historical overview of the fathering movement, a strength-based approach to working with fathers, and an assessment paradigm using gender role conflict theory. Part II takes a cross-cultural approach, with a series of chapters that look at counseling with Latino, Asian, Black, and Caucasian fathers. Part III looks at specific populations of fathers, including first time fathers, teen fathers, stay-at-home fathers, gay fathers, and older fathers. Counseling Fathers provides the most up-to-date and comprehensive resource for family and individual practitioners who work with men who father.

The purpose of this book is to include men in the discussion about early parenthood, to foster a gender-equitable, whole family approach to parental mental health, and to increase awareness about best practices in the care for expectant and new fathers.

An up-to-date and in-depth guide for dealing with teenage fathers, this volume provides a framework for responding to not only the general but also the culturally specific needs of any given unwed teen father. Offering perceptive solutions, the author significantly contributes to the existing literature on how to help teenage men who face unplanned, out-of-wedlock fatherhood by providing clear and concise guidance within the web of legal, family, and personal issues surrounding teenage fatherhood. The book examines the role of the teenage father's relationships - to his parents, his child, the mother of his child and her parents, and his peers - as they relate to his adjustment and changing worldview. While sensitive to cultural considerations, Mark S. Kiselica illuminates ways in which to encourage teenage fathers to take control of their lives and act responsibly regardless of cultural background.

A comprehensive guide for counseling children of incarcerated parents.

On a mid-October evening, a group of fathers gathered around a conference table and met each other for the first time. None of the men had ever thought of himself a "support group kind of guy" and each felt entirely out of place. In fact, nothing about their lives felt normal anymore. The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life chronicles the challenges and triumphs of seven men whose wives died from cancer and were left to raise their young children entirely on their own. Brought together by tragedy, the fathers - Neill, Dan, Bruce, Karl, Joe, Steve, and Russ - forged an uncommon bond. Over time, group meetings evolved into a forum for reinvention and transformed the men in unexpected ways. Through the fathers' poignant interactions, The Group illustrates that while some wounds never fully heal, each of us has the potential to construct a new and meaningful future. Rosenstein and Yopp, co-leaders of the support group, weave together the fathers' stories with contemporary research on grief and adaptation. The Group traces a compelling journey of healing and personal discovery that no book has ever captured before. The men's touching efforts to care for their families, grieve for their wives, and reimagine their futures will inspire anyone who has suffered a major loss.

Examines the long-term ramifications for adult women who, as adolescent girls, lost their fathers to death, divorce, or addiction; helps them understand how their behaviors were shaped by that loss at a pivotal developmental stage; and provides some interactive exercises to help them heal. Original.