“McGoldrick and Hardy have done it again with this third edition of their book on family therapy. As excellent as the first two editions (1998 and 2008), this update is needed because of all the multicultural changes we see around us….Clearly written with practitioners in mind, this is an excellent guide for students training to become family therapists at the master’s or doctoral level. It is also invaluable for clinicians in the trenches working with marginalized populations….The authors are more than well known nationally and internationally in the field of family therapy; they are living legends and role models for past and future generations of clinicians working with families.”

—Doody's Review Service


“This outstanding, transformative book views family therapy through a multicultural perspective, encompassing ethnicity, social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and spirituality. It contains the cultural legacies and rich personal stories of therapists who share their experiences with suffering, oppression, and, most powerfully, resilience. The third edition is a rich resource that should be required reading in every graduate program in our field. It presents an in-depth discussion of the most current, important clinical issues, and conveys with deep compassion a vision for the future.”

—Nancy Boyd-Franklin, PhD, Distinguished Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey


“The uniformly excellent chapters in this book make abundantly clear that the goal in learning about families and diversity is not to achieve some static level of 'cultural competence,' but, rather, to adopt a spirit of humility, excitement, and respectful curiosity about the lives of others. The third edition represents the next step in our field's understanding of diversity and of the forces that promote—or, more often, impede—social justice. A major focus is on the self of the therapist and the core ingredients of a healing, empowering therapeutic relationship. This spectacular book should be read by students at all levels of training, as well as by established mental health professionals.”

—Peter Fraenkel, PhD, Department of Psychology, The City College of the City University of New York


“This essential volume highlights the critical intersection of family therapy and culture. I find the emphasis on sociocultural trauma in the third edition to be especially relevant to our times. Family therapists and those in training will benefit tremendously from this timely update.”

—Ling Lam, PhD, lecturer, Counseling Psychology Department, Santa Clara University


“This volume offers crucial and immensely practical insights for promoting diversity competence among clinicians. I am grateful to be able to use the third edition in my courses and training seminars on couple and family therapy, as the contributors integrate textured intersectional perspectives with self-of-the-therapist transparency and clinical wisdom. We desperately need many more clinicians who embody a measure of the diversity knowledge, awareness, and skill revealed in this volume. This is a book I will repeatedly study and one that is informing my own diversity competence growth plan.”

—Steven J. Sandage, PhD, LP, Albert and Jessie Danielsen Institute, Boston University


“Without candy-coating the social injustices witnessed in our daily newsfeeds, this classic work invites hope for the next generation of therapists and the families they serve. The third edition reminds us that transformation must touch every level of human interaction; in particular, lessons of intersectionality abound, with the caution not to silo people into simple categories. New and revised chapters come from cutting-edge thinkers who communicate clinical wisdom in sociocultural contexts, often through the power of personal story. Suitable for graduate-level courses, this text makes a significant contribution.”

—Claudia Grauf-Grounds, PhD, LMFT, Professor Emerita, Department of Marriage and Family Therapy, Seattle Pacific University


“Giving the student, therapist, and supervisor access to a diverse range of clinical voices, this text maps the terrain of culture, privilege, oppression, and resilience. In the third edition, McGoldrick and Hardy have brought together stellar contributors to encourage an ever-expanding dialogue. By situating lived experience as a valid starting point for systemic reflection, this book widens the scope of what may be considered evidence of strength, marks of oppression, and signs of overcoming in family relationships. It guides us to notice and draw from the rich personal and systemic wells that influence the therapeutic conversation and compel us to pursue societal change.”

—Sharon Y. Ramsay, MDiv, RP, RMFT, private practice, Toronto, Canada