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.

Over the past two decades attention to family issues in relation to chronic pain has been on the rise. There has been a proliferation of research and clinical literature in the field since the first major review on this topic was conducted in 1982. However, no comprehensive review book has been published. Generally speaking, the role of the family in chronic pain literature has been reported from four perspectives: (1) family factors in the etiology of chronic pain; (2) role of spouse in the perpetuation of pain behaviors; (3) impact of chronic pain on family functioning and on the health of spouse and children; and (4) family therapy for these families.

The main thrust of this book will be the issues of impact on the family and therapy. The broader literature of family issues in medical disorders will be incorporated into the body of the book to allow the reader to become familiar with some of the common problems shared by medically ill and chronic pain families and many problems that appear to be specifically associated with chronic pain. The book will offer clinical guidelines in conducting family assessment and couple and family therapy for these patients. This book will not be simply an update, but will adopt a fresh approach to this complex clinical area. The book will have 10 chapters. Each chapter will report the current state of knowledge through a comprehensive review of the most recent literature, and discuss relevant clinical issues through extensive use of case illustrations. The chapters will be designed to bring the reader up to date on the literature as well as provide clinical guidelines for practice.