100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock ๐Ÿ‡ณ๐Ÿ‡ฟ

๐ŸŽ‰ Meet Toy Hero - our brand-new toy store, built by the team behind Book Hero

Coping with Critical, Demanding, and Dysfunctional Parents

Powerful Strategies to Help Adult Children Maintain Boundaries and Stay Sane
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Coping with Critical, Demanding, and Dysfunctional Parents offers an essential guide for those grappling with invalidating, critical, or toxic parental relationships. Authored by psychotherapist David M Allen and Susan Heitler, this book helps readers understand hidden motives behind harmful behaviours, set effective boundaries, and stop repetitive, hurtful interactions. It provides practical communication strategies tailored to your family dynamics, enabling you to advocate for your own needs and find a path to healthier relationshipsโ€”or decide when distancing may be necessary.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3999
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 1 week

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for adults facing critical, demanding, or otherwise difficult relationships with parents, especially those seeking practical advice to establish boundaries and improve family dynamics. It will also benefit therapists and counsellors looking for clear strategies to support clients with dysfunctional parental ties.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Adult children whose parents are invalidating, critical, demanding, or hateful require skills to advocate for their own needs.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Do you have a parent who is invalidating, critical, demanding, or hateful? In this important and much-needed guide, you'll learn how to set boundaries; uncover the hidden motives behind your parent's behaviour; put a stop to repetitive, hurtful interactions; and foster healthier relationships.

There's no sugarcoating itโ€”if you grew up with a parent who made you feel invalidated or unloved as a child, your pain is very real. In some cases, you may decide that you want to remove this parent from your life, and that is a valid choice. But for many people, dealing with a problem parent becomes a necessary part of life, for whatever reason. If you're one of these people, this book can help.

Written by a psychotherapist and expert in relationships, Coping with Critical, Demanding, and Dysfunctional Parents will help you develop unique assertiveness strategies based on the characteristics of your own family dynamics. You'll learn powerful communication skills to help you build boundaries and put a stop to your parent's hurtful behaviour. And, most importantly, you'll learn to advocate for your own needs.

If you've had it up to here with a parent who makes you feel as though you're just not good enough, this invaluable guide can help you put an end to toxic interactions while maintaining peace in your family.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

George Stricker, PhD, praises the accessible language and concrete examples that demonstrate effective approaches to challenging parental relationships while emphasising the value of preserving and improving these bonds. Reviews highlight the book's scholarly yet practical nature, with thoughtful questions and exercises helping readers understand and escape dysfunctional family patterns to achieve more fulfilling relationships.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781684030927

Publisher: New Harbinger Publications

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 December 2018

Country: United States

Imprint: New Harbinger Publications

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 228.0mm

Weight: 318g

Pages: 240

About the Author

David M Allen (Author)
David M. Allen, MD, is professor emeritus of psychiatry and the former director of psychiatric residency training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. He is author of the book How Dysfunctional Families Spur Mental Disorders: A Balanced Approach to Resolve Problems and Reconcile Relationships. He has carried out research on personality disorders, is a psychotherapy theorist, and is former associate editor of the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration. He is also author of three books for psychotherapists, as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters.

More from Health & Wellness

View all
  • New Release
    The Age Code
    What if the food you eat could rewind your biological clock? 'Clear and compelling' โ€” Chris van Tulleken 'Really interesting and insightful' โ€” Joe Wicks 'Fascinating' โ€” Tim Spector From the rising incidence of cancer in the under-50s to increased infertility rates, there are signs everywhere that growing numbers of us are ageing too quickly. Why? Many believe thereโ€™s one...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Copy
    New Release
    "What Were You Thinking!?"
    Everything parents need to know about their baby, child or teen's developing brain to raise resilient, emotional intelligent kids, by globally renowned neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis. 'What were you thinking!?'If you've ever asked this in despair while watching a toddler melt down, a tween push boundaries or a teenager make a truly terrible decision, this book is for you.Inย "What Were...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    2027 Witch's Diary - Southern Hemisphere
    From the bestselling authors of Spellcasting, which has now sold over 250,000 copies worldwide, comes the essential witchy journal to plan your days, harness magick, and connect with higher powers. Features include: 8" x 6" (8" x 12" open) Beautiful glossy gold gatefold cover Compact size, perfect to carry in your bag and keep on you throughout the day 12-month...
    Paperback
    $1999
    Elsewhere:
    $2299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Surviving White Island
    Surviving White Island - Surviving the unsurvivable. Healing from the unhealable. This is an inspiring memoir of physical and mental recovery, from someone who lived through the Whakaari White Island volcanic eruption. "I heard someone say, 'Wow!' And someone else exclaimed, 'Look at that!' I had my back to the crater. I turned around. The moment I saw it, I...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (6)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • New Release
    The Power of Hormones
    For decades, three vital hormones in the female body, progesterone, estrogen andtestosterone, have been misunderstood, dismissed and feared. Their critical roles inimproving function of women's brains, bones, hearts and long-term health have beenignored. Confusion between natural, body identical hormones and synthetic, chemically altered'hormones' has fuelled fear, distorted medical guidelines and shaped media narratives.The result? Countless women struggling with hormone imbalances...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Eat Your Ice Cream
    New Release
    Eat Your Ice Cream
    The New York Times bestseller that presents a bold new vision for living well and ageing with purpose from a world-renowned health expert THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a leading doctor and world-renowned health expert, the simple, uplifting and practical guide to cutting through the wellness noise, living well and ageing with purpose. โ€˜Essential reading for anyone who...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Betrayal
    โ€˜Tom Bower is the Inspector Morse of investigative biographers, a fluent, phlegmatic storyteller and a master of intricacies.โ€™ Sunday Times The British Crown is in crisis, with constitutional threats at home and abroad. At a landmark moment in royal history, can King Charles overcome the scandals that blight the Royal family? Can the broken bonds between the Houses of Sussex...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Better Never Stops
    Signed Copy
    New Release
    Better Never Stops
    The Art and Science of Continuous Improvement From delinquent to doctor, Paul Wood knows first-hand how far we can take our lives if we address what holds us back. At the age of 18, Wood was sent to New Zealand's toughest prison. Almost 11 years later, in 2006, he walked out a free man, escaping his past and becoming a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Signed Bookplate
    New Release
    Light Wielder
    THE EPIC CONCLUSION TO METAL SLINGER, AKA THE BOOK WITH THE PLOT TWIST THAT BROKE THE INTERNET Sail the seas. Master the blade. Protect your heart. What would you do to have it all? READERS ARE GOING WILD FOR *METAL SLINGER* โ€˜The BEST plot twist to ever grace my Kindleโ€™ โญโญโญโญโญ โ€˜The author is a mastermind. Romantasy is back!!!!โ€™ โญโญโญโญโญ...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Mum, I Want to Hear Your Story
    Give Your Mum a Beautiful Gift of Legacy, Love, and Lasting Memories Mum, I Want to Hear Your Story is the fun and delightful way for you to discover everything from your mother's childhood memories to the profound turning points in her life. Featuring specially selected questions in an easy-to-use layout, each intentional section gives Mum a place to share...
    Paperback
    $2099
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story (Expanded Edition)
    Honour his legacy with the greatest gift of allโ€”his story. The Official Hear Your Story Collection Your dad's story is more than just memoriesโ€”it's a journey filled with wisdom, experiences, and defining moments that shaped his life. Dad, I Want to Hear Your Story is a guided journal that gives him the chance to share those stories in his own...
    Paperback
    $2099
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Strangers
    The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" โ€” Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.