Tamarah L. Gehlen

Guessing at Normal: Helping Acoa Clients on Their Therapeutic Journey: a Guide for Acoas and Therapists Tamarah L. Gehlen

Adult Children of Alcoholics/Addicts (ACOAs) are a unique population, and awareness of the issues that these individuals have endured are finally coming to light. It has been said that ACOAs often times suffer trauma that is just as impactful as soldiers who are returning home from war. As such, this book offers insight for ACOAs to better understand their family of origin and what their personal experiences as a child can mean for them as an adult. Aptly named, Guessing at Normal provides a way to comes to terms after surviving a chaotic family system and home life and be able to be an emotionally sound and aware adult. This text also offers a way for counselors to better understand ACOA clients and highlights the importance of understanding family roles and rules and the concepts of grief and loss for this population; as the issues that surround ACOAs can continue years after they have left their childhood homes.