The current investigation explores how gay fathers who become parents through gestational surrogacy experience the transition to parenthood. Structured interviews were conducted with one of the partners in 40 couples that had conceived children via surrogacy. The interviews consisted of closed-and open-ended questions examining changes in fathers' careers; lifestyles; couple relationships; relations with family of origin; friendships; self-esteem; and self-care.Thematic and quantitative analyses of the data were employed. The most striking psychological findings were that fathers reported greater closeness with their families of origin and heightened selfesteem as a result of becoming parents and raising children.

This article analyzes the concepts of "enmeshment" and "cohesion" and their entanglement in the field of family therapy. Early theories in this area were concerned primarily with processes of self/other differentiation. More recent theories have favored spatial metaphors that emphasize closeness-distance. We contend that self/ other differentiation and closeness-distance are different classes of behavior and that their linkage in the literature has obscured useful distinctions. Our analysis reveals two separate dimensions that clinicians and researchers should consider: Intrusiveness (including coercive control, separation anxiety, possessiveness/jealousy, emotional reactivity, and projective mystification); and Closeness-Caregiving (including warmth, time together, nurturance, physical intimacy, and consistency). We give definitions of these constructs and briefly examine their clinical and gender-related implications.

This study examined the differences among lesbians, gay men, and heterosexuals at two points in time (1975 and 2000) using responses of 6,864 participants from two archival data sets. Groups were compared on variables representing equality of behaviors between partners in seven realms: traditionally "feminine" housework, traditionally "masculine" housework, finances, support, communication, requesting/refusing sex, and decision-making. In addition, the current study compared monogamy agreements and monogamy behaviors reported by the two cohorts of couple types. Overall, the results indicate that on the equality variables, there have been many statistically significant behavioral shifts among the different sexual orientations across 25 years. In addition, all couple types reported substantially greater rates of monogamy in the year 2000 than in 1975. The present study has important clinical implications for therapists working with couples because it provides new baseline evidence regarding how couples now interact with one another (especially about monogamy) and how this has shifted over time. In addition, it elucidates the differences that still exist between different couple types, which could serve to inform couple therapists as they strive to become more culturally competent working with same-sex couples.

This study extends the research on the Circumplex Model to a population of lesbian couples. Instruments consisted of a demographic questionnaire, FACES III, and the Family Satisfaction Scale. Lesbian couples reported significantly higher levels of cohesion, adaptability, and satisfaction than did heterosexual couples. Exceptionally high levels of cohesion and adaptability may help lesbian couples function more successfully in a predominantly heterosexual world. Further, women's socialization may predispose female couples to form more cohesive and adaptable relationships than heterosexual couples. This article also emphasizes the cultural relativity of family norms for studies of lesbian and all minority population couples.

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S. E. Solomon, E. D. Rothblum, and K. F. Balsam's (2004) article provides excellent descriptive and comparative data about the first cohort of same-sex couples seeking civil unions in Vermont. In this comment, the author sets their findings in a culture-specific theoretical context. This framework emphasizes three external risk factors faced by lesbian and gay couples in American society and the negative internal consequences when partners are unable to cope with these external challenges successfully. Forming a civil union can be viewed as an outgrowth of successful coping with these risk factors--a sign of individual, couple, and family resilience in the face of adversity.

The current study used an online survey to explore the anticipated impact of legalized marriage on partners in same-sex couples living in California. These data were gathered prior to the California Supreme Court decision in May 2008 legalizing same-sex marriage, which held sway for 5 months before California Proposition 8 eliminating same-sex marriage was passed by a voter referendum. In addition to administering three quantitative measures (Gay and Lesbian Acceptance & Social Support Index, Anticipated Impact of Marriage Scale, and The Couple Satisfaction Index), a qualitative approach to inquiry was used to derive themes in the reported experiences of the study participants. The principal theme emerging from participants’ responses involved a ubiquitous sense of security in all areas of their life, including increased permanence in their couple relationship as well as feeling protected as a unit by the larger society.

This is the first in a series of reports on an experimental, small-sample study of systemic/strategic team consultations. This report describes a "Milan-informed" method of team consultation for resolving therapy impasses. It then focuses on the initial one-month outcomes from the larger 3-year project. Eleven therapists were asked to select two ongoing cases matched for difficulty. While all cases continued in regular therapy, one of each therapist's cases was also selected at random to participate in a systemic/strategic, five-part team consultation. Analyses of one-month follow-up data showed that clients who participated in the team consultation were more likely to achieve their main and overall treatment goals than clients who received only regular therapy (p's less than .05, eta2 as a measure of effect size ranging from 32% to 41%). The strong findings of this initial study encourage more widespread use of team consultations as a context for treatment, training, and research.