The Family Breakup & Survival Workbook contains assessments and self-guided exploration activities for practitioners to use with all members of a family as they cope with stress and changes associated with a break-up.
Breaking up can mean many different things to different people. For the purposes of this workbook, we are using the term break-up to include people living in a variety of situations, including legal separation, annulment, dating, divorce, and co-inhabiting. Break-ups are extremely complicated processes that usually involve phases of a break-up between the two people and their families, and then possible various stages of a grieving process, for all concerned. The activities in this workbook will address all of this.
The Family Breakup & Survival Workbook is designed to be used either independently or as part of an integrated curriculum. You may administer any of the assessments and the guided self-exploration activities to an individual or multiple family members with whom you are working, or you may administer any of the activities over multiple sessions. Feel free to pick and choose those assessments and activities that best lead to the outcomes you desire. The assessments and activities are divided into four chapters to help you identify and select assessments easily and quickly.
Chapter I: Communication
This chapter helps family members explore the way information about the break-up was conveyed to them.
Chapter II: Visitation and Relationships
This chapter helps family members explore how visitation is being handled by both parents and how relationships with the family care-givers are progressing.
Chapter III: Feelings This chapter helps family members explore how well they are managing their current feelings associated with the break-up
Chapter IV: Changes
This chapter helps family members explore the various changes that have resulted because of the break-up, and how family members are dealing with those changes.
All of the assessments and activities in this workbook are fully reproducible for your convenience.
About the Author
Ester R.A. Leutenberg has worked in the mental health field for many years as a publisher, author, and advocate for those suffering from loss. She personally experienced a devastating loss when her son Mitchell, after struggling with a mental illness for eight years, died by suicide in 1986. Soon after, as a way of both healing and helping others, Ester co-founded Wellness Reproductions & Publishing with her daughter Kathy Khalsa and began developing therapeutic products that help facilitators help their clients.
With Whole Person Associates, Ester has co-written several books and corresponding card decks including: GriefWork ~ Healing from Loss, Breaking Up is Hard to Do, Creating a Healthy Balanced Life, The Complete Caregiver Support Guide, Life Skills to Help Teens Balance Way Too Much, Motivation, and Veterans - Surviving and Thriving after Trauma, Transitional Life Skills for Teens series, and the Optimal Well-Being for Senior Adults series. Visit WholePerson.com for a complete list.
Ester, a breast cancer survivor since 2003, counsels other survivors in overcoming body and loss issues. Ester is a board member of SOS (Survivors of Suicide) in Tucson AZ.
John J. Liptak, EdD has many years of experience in providing counseling services to individuals and groups in a variety of settings including job training programs, correctional institutions, colleges, and universities. In addition, John has years of teaching experience as an adjunct professor at Radford University.
John frequently conducts workshops on assessment-related topics. He has written three books on career-related topics. His books have been featured in numerous newspapers including The Washington Post, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His work has also been featured on MSNBC, CNN Radio, and on the PAX/ION television series, Success without a College Degree.
With Ester and Kathy, he has written three other comprehensive books for teachers and counselors to use with their students and clients: The Self-Esteem Program, The Social Skills Program and The Stress Management Program: Inventories, Activities & Educational Handouts.
Ester and John continue to co-write workbooks and corresponding card decks in each of these series that help facilitators help their teen and adult participants: Coping, Erasing the Stigma of Mental Health Issues through Awareness, Working With Families, Mental Health & Life Skills, Mind-Body Wellness, and Teen Mental Health & Life Skills, all published by Whole Person Associates. Visit WholePerson.com for a complete list.
