Offering an alternative to clinician's prevalent focus on family dysfunction, this book draws upon extensive clinical and research experience to present a framework for therapeutic and preventive work with couples and families who are distressed, vulnerable, or at risk. The book identifies key interactional processes that enable family members to make meaning of adversity and deal effectively with varied psychosocial challenges and constraints. The chapters delineate guidelines for recognizing and fostering core elements of resilience, from shared belief systems to specific communication and problem-solving processes. The chapters are: (1) "Foundations of a Family Resilience Approach"; (2) "Changing Families in a Changing World"; (3) "Belief Systems: The Heart and Soul of Resilience"; (4) "Organizational Processes: Family Shock Absorbers"; (5) "Communication Processes: Facilitating Family Functioning"; (6) "Practice Principles and Guidelines"; (7) "Loss, Recovery, and Resilience"; (8) "Coping and Resilience in Chronic Illness and Family Caregiving"; (9) "Strengthening Vulnerable Multicrisis Families"; and (10) "Reconnecting and Reconciliation: Bridge over Troubled Waters." Contains 337 references. (HTH)