The Lesbian Family Life Cycle

Despite the rapidly growing number of lesbian families in this country, until now little discussion has emerged of the particular developmental stages and common stresses that face lesbian couples. In this book, psychotherapist Suzanne Slater looks at the wide spectrum of lesbian families - one or two lesbian parents with children, newly lesbian mothers of adult children, the extended family of lesbian friends and ex-lovers. The book provides a five-stage model of the development of lesbian couple relationships, describing the tasks, challenges, and accomplishments particular to each developmental stage.