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Robert-Jay Green

Robert-Jay Green
  • PhD
  • Professor Emeritus at Alliant International University--San Francisco Campus

About

59
Publications
33,638
Reads
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1,549
Citations
Introduction
Robert-Jay Green, PhD is Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Clinical Psychology PhD Program and Senior Research Fellow at the Rockway Institute for Research in LGBT Psychology, California School of Professional Psychology, San Francisco. Among his 100+ publications are two co-edited books: FAMILY THERAPY: MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS; and LESBIANS AND GAYS IN COUPLES AND FAMILIES: A HANDBOOK FOR THERAPISTS. He has received four national awards from the American Psychological Association and the Distinguished Research Award from the American Family Therapy Academy for his outstanding contributions to the fields of Family Psychology and LGBT Psychology. Currently, Dr. Green is conducting studies of children raised by gay fathers and long term effects of marriage on same-sex couples.
Current institution
Alliant International University--San Francisco Campus
Current position
  • Professor Emeritus
Additional affiliations
September 2013 - present
Alliant International University
Position
  • Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Clinical Psychology PhD Program; Founder & Senior Research Fellow, Rockway Institute
September 2004 - August 2013
Alliant International University
Position
  • Managing Director
September 1989 - August 2004
Alliant International University
Position
  • Professor, Clinical Psychology PhD Program

Publications

Publications (59)
Article
Full-text available
The present study investigated child behavior problems, parenting styles, coparenting, and couple relationship satisfaction in 67 European gay father families via surrogacy and 67 European heterosexual parent families via unassisted conception, all with children aged 1.5–10 years (M = 3.57 years, SD = 2.09). The two family groups were matched for c...
Article
Full-text available
Abstract Introduction This research examined the general attitudes toward lesbian women and gay men (LG people), same-sex marriage (SSM), and LG parenting (LGP) in a large sample of young heterosexual European adults. We expected that one’s country of origin, gender role traditionalism, contact, and religiosity would predict their responses. Method...
Preprint
Full-text available
CV for Robert-Jay Green, PhD
Article
Full-text available
Recognition of same-sex marriage and parenting has increased in the last two decades but remains a controversial issue in which public opinion plays a role, as it can influence political leaders but also determine the immediate environment of same-sex families. The literature highlights the effect of religiosity, political orientation, beliefs abou...
Article
Full-text available
This research focused on behavioral functioning of children conceived via gestational surrogacy and raised by gay fathers. Gay fathers from 68 families with children aged 3–10 years completed the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Their scores were compared to those from a normative sample of parents matched for parent’s occupation and children’s...
Article
Full-text available
This study aimed to examine the role of gender ideology, religiosity and political conservatism on attitudes toward same-sex parenting in Italy at a time when same-sex parent families are undergoing attacks from ideological campaigns opposing non-traditional gender roles and families. We collected data from 4,187 heterosexual respondents about atti...
Article
Full-text available
The objective of this study was to document the prevalence and evolution of sexual prejudice toward gay men and lesbian, same-gender marriage and same-gender parenting among a large sample of Portuguese young adults. The sample consisted of 704 self-identified heterosexual individuals (24% men and 76% women), aged between 18 and 30 years (M = 22; S...
Article
Legalizing marriage and facilitating access to parenting for same-sex couples are controversial subjects in many countries. Based on a survey of 1,861 French heterosexual students, this study examined the effects of gender, methods gays and lesbians use to become parents, religious affiliation (Catholic vs. no religious affiliation), and religiosit...
Article
La France a connu en 2013 une longue période de débats dans le cadre du projet de loi d’ouverture du mariage et de l’adoption aux couples de même sexe, et des opinions très marquées se sont exprimées dans les médias et dans la rue. Peu d’études ont exploré les attitudes envers le mariage entre personnes de même sexe et l’homoparentalité en France....
Presentation
Although previous quantitative research has shown that children conceived via donor insemination and raised by lesbian parents do not differ significantly in behavior problems from children raised by heterosexual parents, no prior quantitative research has focused on children conceived via surrogacy and raised from birth by gay fathers. 68 gay fa...
Presentation
Full-text available
Despite ongoing social changes in Poland, the attitudes toward samesex marriage or parenting are predominantly unsupportive, especially among older and religious citizens. Previous studies have shown that women reveal more supportive attitudes toward homosexuality than men. At the same time, they also prove to be more religious and involved in the...
Article
Full-text available
The current study investigated social support and relationship status (single, dating-but-not-cohabiting, cohabiting, domestic partnership/civil union, married) as predictors of depressive symptoms among lesbian and heterosexual women. The study aimed to determine whether the documented higher rates of depressive symptoms among lesbians compared to...
Presentation
The present research breaks new ground by exploring the psychological functioning of children born by surrogacy and raised by gay fathers. Fifty-two gay father families with 3-10 year old children were recruited from surrogacy agencies and LGBT organizations nationally. A primary or co-equal parent from each family completed measures on: • Child’s...
Presentation
Research has established a consistent and robust link between couple relationship quality and children's well-being. Most of this research has been done with samples of heterosexual parent families, and a few studies have been done with lesbian parent samples. The current study extends this line of research by being the first to focus on a sample o...
Conference Paper
Applying multicultural family systems theory to gay father families, this paper is based on the authors’ clinical experiences and on recently collected research data from a sample of 68 gay male couples and their female and male children born via surrogacy in the United States. For the latter, 68 gay father couples with 3-10 year old children wer...
Article
In the: absence Of indigenously developed valid measures to study constructs related to marriage and family in Pakistan, the most economical way is to translate and adapt an instrument that has already been :validated in other cultures. The purpose of this study was to translate into Urdu - language,and pilot test a measure of dyadic relationship b...
Article
In addition to developmental stressors that all adolescents face, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth must also deal with stressors associated with anti-LGB prejudice, discrimination, and stigma. Little is known about the specific ways in which LGB youth cope with the anti-LGB incidents in their everyday lives or what might constitute “effective...
Article
The current study used an online survey to explore the anticipated impact of legalized marriage on partners in same-sex couples living in California. These data were gathered prior to the California Supreme Court decision in May 2008 legalizing same-sex marriage, which held sway for 5 months before California Proposition 8 eliminating same-sex marr...
Chapter
The editors and contributors of this comprehensive text provide a unique and important contribution to LGBT clinical literature. Spanning 30 chapters, they discuss the diverse and complex issues involved in LGBT couple and family therapy. In almost 15 years, this book provides the first in-depth overview of the best practices for therapists and tho...
Article
This article reports on a study that compared Filipino gay (N = 43) and heterosexual (N = 767) men on measures of male role attitudes and behavior, depression, and anxiety. The authors used the Filipino Adherence and Conflict with Expectations of Masculinity Questionnaire to assess 7 male role dimensions, as well as the Mehrabian Trait Anxiety and...
Chapter
Die Beiträge dieses Bandes gehen der ethischen und gesellschaftlichen Vertretbarkeit einer Form der familialen Lebensgestaltung nach, die an fundamentale Überzeugungen, kulturelle Werthaltungen, gesellschaftliche Leitbilder und rechtliche Regelungen rührt: der gleichgeschlechtlichen Familie. Da sich die Forschung in Deutschland bisher kaum mit diff...
Article
The current investigation explores how gay fathers who become parents through gestational surrogacy experience the transition to parenthood. Structured interviews were conducted with one of the partners in 40 couples that had conceived children via surrogacy. The interviews consisted of closed-and open-ended questions exam-ining changes in fathers'...
Article
This article reports on a study that compared Filipino gay (N = 43) and heterosexual (N = 767) men on measures of male role attitudes and behavior, depression, and anxiety. The authors used the Filipino Adherence and Conflict with Expectations of Masculinity Questionnaire to assess 7 male role dimensions, as well as the Mehrabian Trait Anxiety and...
Article
When gay and lesbian couples decide to become parents, they are unique as a group in always requiring the involvement of a facilitating other: a donor, surrogate, or (in the case of adopted or foster children) birth parents. This clinical paper explores common psychological and social challenges gay and lesbian couples face when using alternative r...
Article
A new frontier for family therapy is emerging from recent studies of under-achievement in school, learning disabilities and parental communication. Although poor school performance is frequently the presenting problem (or an associated symptom) in family therapy, this topic still lacks a coherent conceptual framework. An ecological model is propose...
Article
This paper describes five highly structured writing assignments for teaching family therapy trainees to think in systems terms: 1) Analysis of a communication task; 2) Family assessment report; 3) Family treatment plan; 4) Analysis of a marital or family therapy interview; and 5) Family autobiography. The overall training context in which the assig...
Article
Full-text available
S. E. Solomon, E. D. Rothblum, and K. F. Balsam's (2004) article provides excellent descriptive and comparative data about the first cohort of same-sex couples seeking civil unions in Vermont. In this comment, the author sets their findings in a culture-specific theoretical context. This framework emphasizes three external risk factors faced by les...
Article
This commentary is a response to Rosik's "Motivational, Ethical, and Epistemological Foundations in the Treatment of Unwanted Homoerotic Attraction" (this issue). Such treatment raises complex questions that cannot be resolved by focusing on the therapist's conservative versus liberal values. Most such clients are deeply ambivalent about their homo...
Article
Full-text available
In a 1996 article on family theory, we (Green & Werner) proposed that family enmeshment should not be equated with high cohesion and that the construct of enmeshment fails to discriminate between two distinct relationship processes: Closeness-caregiving and intrusiveness. In this study, our model of these two independent dimensions of family connec...
Article
This article challenges the popular assumption that coming out to family of origin is important for lesbians and gay men's mental health and couple relationships. First, I present theory emphasizing the unique position of lesbians/gays in families of origin and the significance of "families of choice." Second, I review the quantitative research on...
Article
Resumen Los autores han propuesto recientemente que el aglutinamiento familiar no es sinónimo de niveles altos de proximidad o cohesión. Un modelo propuesto por Green y Werner clarifica el dominio de la cohesión-aglutinamiento distinguiendo entre proximidad-atenciones e intrusión como procesos de relación separados. Este artículo examina la aplicab...
Article
Authors recently have suggested that family enrneshment is not synonymous with high levels of closeness or cohesion. A model proposed by Green and Werner clarifies the cohesion-enmeshment domain by distinguishing between closeness-caregiving and intrusiveness as separate relationship processes. This paper examines the cross-cultural applicability o...
Article
Multicultural transformation of predominantly White training programs (which includes almost all programs in the field of family therapy) is difficult and typically is characterized by a series of wrenching crises and ultimate resolutions. The process requires a long-term commitment to organizational self-examination. This chapter describes 11 guid...
Article
In conceptualizing this volume, we set out to explore, comprehensively and in depth, what the couple and family relationships of lesbians and gays are like and what we might learn [by linking theory, research, and clinical practice] that could contribute to the field of family theory and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights...
Article
The article by J.K. Long (1996) in this issue of Family Process helps puncture the conventional secrecy around homosexuality, challenging the silence of many supervisors. In this commentary, I will expand on the themes raised by Long and offer some tangible steps we can take to teach and learn about lesbians/gays in couples and families.
Article
This article analyzes the concepts of "enmeshment" and "cohesion" and their entanglement in the field of family therapy. Early theories in this area were concerned primarily with processes of self/other differentiation. More recent theories have favored spatial metaphors that emphasize closeness-distance. We contend that self/ other differentiation...
Article
Proposes a seven-dimension systemic model for counselors to help teachers conceptualize learning and behavior problems in the classroom. The model stresses the importance of the teacher defining the presenting problem and the outcome goals in terms of clearly observable behavior. This systems approach addresses behaviors that are resistant to more...
Article
Research has demonstrated that confusing styles of parental communication--"communication deviances" (CD)--are associated with cognitive disorder in offspring. The present study examined the immediate effects of adult communication clarity versus deviance on sixty-one 11- to 15-year-old male and female adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). S...
Article
Full-text available
Contrary to popular belief, family psychology training is being offered in a large number of doctoral programs. However, truly comprehensive training in family psychology seems unlikely to develop much further in traditional academic departments. Rather, it will emerge only in the largest and newest of doctoral programs, especially in the professio...
Article
Discusses the prevalence of comprehensive training in family psychology. It appears that comprehensive training is unlikely to develop much further in traditional academic departments. Rather, it will emerge only in the largest and newest of doctoral programs, especially in the professional schools. As a blueprint for others, a case example of the...
Article
Full-text available
Compared 23 stepfamilies in therapy for a child-focused problem with 27 control stepfamilies without major problems. Stepparents (STPs) and their 11–16 yr old children responded to 6 instruments: a demographic data questionnaire, an STP role scale, the Family Environment Scale, and measures of conflict between the STP couple, continuing emotional a...
Article
This is the first in a series of reports on an experimental, small-sample study of systemic/strategic team consultations. This report describes a “Milan-informed” method of team consultation for resolving therapy impasses. It then focuses on the initial one-month outcomes from the larger 3-year project. Eleven therapists were asked to select two on...
Article
This paper examines how clients and therapists, together, create impasses or change. First, the general concept of a “therapeutic system” (therapist-plus-client) is briefly reviewed. Second, a model is described that synthesizes systemic and strategic ideas about therapeutic systems. Third, a series of questions based on this model is proposed for...
Article
Reviews the book, The handbook of family psychology and therapy (Vols. 1 & 2) edited by L. L'Abate (1985). This handbook contains over 1,500 pages (46 chapters and 3 appendixes). At this length, it is not for the faint of heart! Most of the chapters are high-density reviews of the literature with extensive reference lists on selected topics. The tw...
Article
Full-text available
Presents 5 articles on family therapy (FT) training. R. J. Green generally describes the lack of formal training and the abundance of informal training programs in FT. A curriculum for the family-centered clinical psychologist is outlined. Green and the 4 other participants in the symposium then discuss different settings: an interdisciplinary univ...
Article
Sexual status disclosure by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) children and adults is a process with great consequences for the individual's relationship with their family. The possibility of being disowned creates an existential crisis for individuals who do not know in advance how will their family will react. The implications of this...
Article
Discusses how couple therapists can help same-sex partners (1) deal with homophobia, (2) make their couple commitments and relationship roles less ambiguous, and (3) build a more closely knit network of social support. For each of these issues, the authors describe problem-specific dynamics and related therapeutic techniques. The authors then discu...
Article
Full-text available
examine 3 assumptions that mental health professionals—including lesbian and gay therapists—commonly hold about same-sex couples / as a consequence of female gender-role socialization, lesbian couples have a tendency to be emotionally fused / as a consequence of male gender-role socialization, gay male couples have a tendency to be emotionally dise...

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