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Tokens of Affection

Reclaiming Your Marriage After Postpartum Depression

By Karen Kleiman, Amy Wenzel

To Be Published January 1st 2014 by Routledge – 256 pages

Purchasing Options:

  • Paperback: $37.95
    978-0-415-81045-6
    Not yet available
  • Hardback: $140.00
    978-0-415-81044-9
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Description

The impact of postpartum depression on a marriage has striking implications and can be potentially damaging to a relationship. For these couples, resources are lacking. They need accurate information and guidance to navigate the challenging combination of marriage, depression, and a new baby. Based on research done by famed therapist John Gottman, Tokens of Affection introduces a model of collaboration that refers to 8 specific features that guide postpartum couples back from their depression. These features, framed as “tokens,” have their basis in marital therapy literature and have shown to reunite postpartum couples after depression and direct them toward reconnection. The tokens serve as a reminder that these are not just communication skill-building techniques; they are gift-giving gestures on behalf of their relationship. Both professionals, in their work with clients, and men and women suffering from marital difficulties related to postpartum depression, will find this book a useful resource. Readers will learn how to differentiate depression from the stressors that are universal to all parents, and how to apply specific strategies to fortify a marriage’s foundation.

Contents

Part 1: Marriage Under Fire 1. Your Current Married State 2. When Depression Descends 3. The Connection 4. What Puts Your Marriage at Risk? Part 2: The Connection Heals 5. Secrets to a Happy Marriage: The Tokens 6. Token of Esteem: Create a Community of Respect 7. Token of Collaboration; Learn to Accept What Is 8. Token of Selflessness: Give to Get 9. Token of Sanctuary: Secure a Sacred Space 10. Token of Speech: Find a Common Language 11. Token of Compromise: Suspend Negativity 12. Token of Yielding: Renounce your Right to be Right 13. Token of Loyalty: Dare to Believe 14. Bumps in the Road: Special Circumstances 15. What Next? Looking Ahead

Author Bio

Karen Kleiman, MSW, is well known as an international expert on postpartum depression. In 1988, she founded The Postpartum Stress Center, LLC, a treatment and training facility for prenatal and postpartum depression and anxiety disorders. Here, she treats individuals and couples experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. More recently she founded The Postpartum Stress & Family Wellness Center, LLC, in New Jersey. She has also been interviewed for, featured in, and reviewed by local and national TV, magazines, radio shows, and websites such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Surviving Motherhood (produced by TLC) and Self Magazine.

Amy Wenzel, PhD, has specialized in perinatal distress and close relationships since 1995 and is currently an affiliate of The Postpartum Stress Center. Her research has been published in numerous journals and she is the author of many comprehensive books in the field, such as Oxford University Press’s Oxford Handbook of Perinatal Psychology (in press).

Name: Tokens of Affection: Reclaiming Your Marriage After Postpartum Depression (Paperback) – Routledge 
Description: By Karen Kleiman, Amy Wenzel. The impact of postpartum depression on a marriage has striking implications and can be potentially damaging to a relationship. For these couples, resources are lacking. They need accurate information and guidance to navigate the challenging combination...
Categories: Marriage & Couples Therapy, Mood Disorders in Adults - Depression, Mania, Bi-polar, Marriage & Family Counseling