Review of Helping couples and families navigate illness and disability: An integrated approach.

Reviews the book, Helping Couples and Families Navigate Illness and Disability: An Integrated Approach by John S. Rolland (see record 2018-14404-000). Many health care providers have traveled with their patients and families on the journey of disease, disability, and death. This journey is often filled with unanticipated twists and turns: changes in physical functioning, intense emotional experiences, and demands on intimate relationships. In Helping Couples and Families Navigate Illness and Disability: An Integrated Approach, John Rolland has provided clinicians with a map of the territory, guiding them through the challenges of intersecting systems of family relationships, cultural values, and health care practices. This book is a culmination of John Rolland's expertise and writing over his 40-year career. The book expands on his work in theory development while adding an expansive repertoire of practical questions, suggestions, and interventions. His personal experience coping with the illness and death of his young spouse and his parents' health infuses a tender and personal tone to this academic work. In the context of his own journey, he wondered: "What would have been useful information or support for me and my family members at different phases of the illness that could have made a difference in our ability to cope and adapt?" (pp. viii). This question is at the heart of the book. His clinical expertise, theoretical acumen, and personal experiences comprise this comprehensive and readable book. The book is organized into four sections: (a) a conceptual overview of the Family Systems Illness Model (FSI); (b) the application of the model for families, couples and multigenerations, and family/cultural health beliefs; (c) health-related phases and transitions with specific populations (e.g., terminally ill, chronic conditions, aging individuals, and couples); and (d) the clinician's personal-professional dynamic emotional experience. This book will be an important resource for the growing workforce of behavioral health providers. It provides physicians with a family-oriented transition of care model and is applicable for nurses, nurse practitioners, and mental health professionals who coach families through many phases of care-inpatient, rehabilitation, or hospice. It does not include critical analysis of the research on family-oriented care. There are references to studies, but it is not a systematic review or meta-analysis of best practices for family-oriented health care. For family systems novices, this book will be conceptually dense. It is not entry-level reading but will be accessible if incorporated into a seminar by seasoned faculty. Clinicians will find that the FSI model is a necessary GPS for guiding families through their health care and journey of illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).