More than one fourth of all families today are one-parent families, and almost 90 percent of those families are headed by women. This book focuses on assessment and intervention with one-parent families, particularly mother-headed families, based on gender-sensitive principles combined with other family-centered strategies to help accentuate the strengths these families possess. Special treatment methods for single-parent families based on factors such as the gender of the head of household, ethnicity, age, and sexual orientation are discussed. The importance of social policies and services that help single parents meet the challenging dual roles of caregiving and wage earning are emphasized. The 11 chapters in the book are: (1) "Gender-Sensitive Practice with Single-Parent Families"; (2) "Transitional Stages and the Family Life Cycle"; (3) "Conversations and Consultations with Single Mothers and Their Families"; (4) "Mother-Headed Families and the External Environment"; (5) "Support from Family and Partners"; (6) "Extrafamilial Support"; (7) "Ethnic Families"; (8) "Adolescent Parents"; (9) "Single Father-Headed Families"; (10) "Noncustodial Parenting"; and (11) "Policy Perspectives." Contains over 170 references. (TJQ)