Healthy Fatherhood

Chapter 10: Healthy Fatherhood 

Description:

This chapter discusses the current status, role and function of men as fathers. Therapeutic workers retain concepts involving fathers as family figurehead, protector and disciplinarian despite being aware of significant changes in the social environment. The fathers themselves, however, were increasingly questioning a social process by which their previously known roles were being 'de-constructed' without a clearly defined set of replacement expectations. Fathers, especially those who were strongly committed to their responsibilities within the family, were nevertheless struggling to come to terms with many aspects or dimensions of their lived experience of fatherhood.

Acknowledging the fact that men are engaged in a difficult process of redefining and reconstructing fatherhood and offering them an opportunity to explore their reactions to the changes inherent in the process may go a long way towards enhancing therapeutic engagement. Further research is underway to assist in defining a research-based model of healthy fatherhood.

Topics:

• Nursing literature
• Fatherhood and social change
• What do professionals say?
• What do fathers say?
• Eight dimensions of fatherhood
• Clinical practice
• Summary
• Notes
• References

Author:

Clive Skene
Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Applied Psychology, Master of Psychology Coordinator, Community Mental Health, Department of Public Health, Flinders University, South Australia

Clive Skene is a clinical psychologist with 13 years' experience of working with families, children and adolescents with behavioural, social and emotional problems. Nine of those years were spent at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide, South Australia, and four were in private practice. Clive has been interested in the area of fatherhood and men's health issues since 1991.

Professional Reviews: