"I heartily recommend Sibling Development."--CFLE Network Newsletter (National Council on Family Relations)

Sibling relationships have a major influence on a person's development and behavior, yet, until now the topic has been seriously underrepresented in the professional literature.

Sibling Development: Implications for Mental Health Practitioners addresses this gap by examining the range of developmental, clinical, and cultural issues related to sibling relationships. It highlights positive sibling relationships as a source of strength and resilience; at the other end of the spectrum, it addresses sibling abuse, a dangerous and underdiagnosed condition. It demonstrates the crucial support that siblings can provide each other in families experiencing mental illness, substance abuse, divorce, and other stressors. It also considers issues of cultural and ethnic diversity, gender, disability, and sexual orientation as they relate to siblings and their families.

Each chapter provides case studies to illustrate how theory and empirical findings can be incorporated into culturally informed treatment, and offers implications for practice and future research. It is an essential resource for all practitioners, researchers, students, and educators who work with or study siblings.

• Examines the role of siblings as cultural educators and socializing agents
• Offers empirically derived treatment approaches for siblings and families
• Discusses lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender siblings
• Includes case studies to demonstrate how to integrate theory and empirical findings into practice
• Looks at sibling dynamics in families with mental illness, substance abuse, and divorce, as well as siblings of individuals with disabilities
• Discusses sibling relationships in transracial adoptive families

PART ONE: OVERVIEWS

1Sibling Influence In Human Development
Shawn D. Whiteman, Julia M. Becerra Bernard, & Alexander C. Jensen

2Siblings in Practice
Robert Sanders

3Supportive Sibling Relationships
Laurie Kramer

4Sibling Practice in Cultural Context
Marlene Watson & Monica McGoldrick

PART TWO: CULTURE, ENVIRONMENTS & ISSUES

5 Cultural Variations in Sibling Relationships
Kimberly A. Updegraff, Susan M. McHale, Sarah E. Killoren, & Sue Annie Rodriguez

6 Siblings as Cultural Educators and Socializing Agents
Jennifer Reynolds, Lisa M. Dorner, & Marjorie Faulstich Orellana

7 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Siblings
Esther D. Rothblum

8A Sideways Look at Gender and Sibling Relationships
Rosalind Edwards and Susie Weller

9Siblings of Individuals with Disabilities
Jennifer L. Goeke & Kristen D. Ritchey

10Siblings in Families with Mental Illness
Ellen Lukens & Helle Thorning

11Sibling Involvement in Substance Misuse and Abuse
Audrey L. Begun & Lisa K. Berger

12Sibling Violence and Systems-Oriented Therapy
John Caffaro

13 Sibling Relationships in Divorcing Families
Marion F. Ehrenberg & Rotem Regev

14 Sibling Relationships in Transracial Adoptive Families
Amanda L. Baden & John Raible

15 Sibling Relationships and Out-Of-Home Care
Audrey L. Begun & Joshua P. Mersky

16 Only Children
Adriean Mancillas

17 Adolescence, Sibling Death, and Bereavement
David E. Balk

PART THREE: FUTURE DIRECTIONS

18Future Directions for Sibling Research, Practice, and Theory
Jonathan Caspi

"