Navigating Family Estrangement: Helping Adults Understand and Manage the Challenges of Family Estrangement. Karl Melvin

Melvin’s book Navigating Family Estrangement, as the title suggests, is centered primarily on elucidating the complexity of adults’ experience with familial estrangement, providing readers with strategies to help clients navigate the challenges of family estrangement and better understand the rippling effects of the phenomenon. What is particularly significant about the text is that its author is both a psychotherapist and researcher and has lived experience of familial estrangement, which gives the reader the added benefit of learning about the topic from multiple, equally relevant perspectives. Melvin is sure to highlight, however, that his aim is not to suggest readers take sides, but to show how those with this experience have survived. The book begins by introducing, defining, and explaining key terms related to estrangement (e.g., the Estrangement Impact Triad, the Estrangement Inquiry Model, an Estrangement Map, Estranged Party) before transitioning to recognizing the signs of estrangement in clients and discussing appropriate ways to provide support.