A down-to-earth and highly practical guide, this is the first book to explain and illustrate the relationship between family systems, illness, and loss. This updated paperback edition includes theoretical information along with specific suggestions for developing the important skills needed to manage psychosocial symptoms in the patient and family, both during illness and after death. The author explains how to understand the dynamics of the family as an interactive, intradepandent system. He also explains how to help families define and facilitate the tasks they must take to adjust to illness and loss.