cover image Taming Monsters, Slaying Dragons: The Revolutionary Family Approach to Overcoming Childhood Fears and Anxiety

Taming Monsters, Slaying Dragons: The Revolutionary Family Approach to Overcoming Childhood Fears and Anxiety

Joel Feiner, Graham Yost. Arbor House Publishing, $17.95 (296pp) ISBN 978-0-87795-939-7

Although they discuss how to cope with ""normal'' kinds of childhood fears of fantasy-bred monsters and early separation anxieties, along with those resulting from external disasters such as death, Feiner, associate professor of psychiatry at Manhattan's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Yost (Spy-Tech) focus on problematic fears that stem from, or are sustained by, family relationships and stress. Citing case histories, they study the family system and communications, especially triangles involving a combination of adults and child. They point out the importance of well-defined family roles and boundaries, and a social and support network of relatives, friends, professional help, etc. Despite occasional lapses into psychiatric jargon, the authors persuasively advocate that rather than dealing directly with a child's fear symptoms, efforts should be made at improving family communications as a means of achieving a healthier functioning group. In some cases, professional family therapy may be advisable, they caution. (January 20)