Intimate Environments

From the beginning, the subject of sex has been notably absent from the family therapy literature. In this timely, challenging, often controversial volume prominent clinicians present their varied views about intimacy, sex, and gender issues that affect family process, therapy, and not least of all, themselves. Delineating the sexual and intimacy structures that exist in families, contributors demonstrate how these structures determine the nature of close relationships. They also explore gender differences in the definition, expectation, and experience of intimacy and the interrelationships among caring, intimacy, and sexuality. INTIMATE ENVIRONMENTS considers the reciprocities between systems and developmental theories, individual/couple and couple/family, and the therapist and client. Personal and professional views and experiences of the therapist, clinical and theoretical perspectives, and gender influences on sexuality, intimacy, and love are also examined.

The book is divided into three major sections covering theory, person-of-the-therapist, and clinical issues. Within the second section is a unique Conversations'' chapter based on inter-and intra-gender discussions among the editors and four distinguished writers and practitioners--Peggy Penn, Maggie Scharf, Donald Bloch, and Carlos Sluzki. In this revealing chapter, the six participants openly discuss their attitudes toward the process as well as the content of intimacy, sexuality in relation to family therapy.

The first complete volume to deal unflinchingly with these issues, INTIMATE ENVIRONMENTS offers profound implications for family therapy training and practice. As such, it will be invaluable for practitioners in the field, as well as an excellent resource for psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers.