William J. Doherty

Dr. Doherty’s approach for helping those considering divorce is a valuable contribution to the field. His Discernment Counseling is a revelation and one that every therapist should study.

Well written and engaging, Doherty works to challenge individualism and encourage relational thinking. The book delves into issues such as affairs, divorce, aging parents, and how individualism affects decision about these.

This book discusses the shifting values in modern culture from families to children, from communities to individuals. There are some interesting stories and innovative ideas for making your family and marriage a priority in life.

Some good ideas to be sure but with a decidedly "anything goes" slant. I understand that the point of the book was not to JUDGE the "new" family unit but to administer advice on how to make said "new" family unit work through intentional living. However, while I was hoping for more concrete ideas on intentional living as a family the author spent far too much time helping the "new" and broken family unit get back to some semblance of normalcy; that's not what I needed.