Books by Cheryl Dellasega
(Wiley, 2007) Forced to Be Family
Taking my work on understanding and dealing with relational aggression among female family members (Mean Girls Grow Up, below) one step further, my new book examines the even harsher reality of female family feuds—sisters who sabotage, ex-wives who wage subtle warfare, and other family situations where women emotionally wound each other. This book uses clinical insights and real-life stories to explain why these female family antagonisms have a special power to hurt and offers practical strategies to help restore relationships and reclaim lives.
(Wiley Paperback, 2007) Mean Girls Grown Up
Whenever I spoke about the phenomenon of relational aggression, it seemed one person in the audience would ask: What happens to these girls when they grow up? It made me curious, too, but when I looked for any books or studies on the topic, there werent any. Once more, the words of real women who have lived through RA are at the core of this book, along with helpful steps to take if you are an adult target, aggressor, or in-betweener.
(YouthLight, 2007) Girl Grudges
Some girls may find it extremely difficult to forgive and forget when relationship hurts are deep and friendships fractured. Our country has witnessed too many extreme examples of inner conflicts that begin in childhood and explode into violence years later. Girl Grudges: Learning How to Forgive and Live, is written by two experts with many years of experience helping address deep-seated conflicts that cause ongoing pain for all involved.
This book offers a variety of experiential and educational activities to help girls in middle and high school either one-on-one or in groups. It is based on the ERA model (Educate, Relate, and Integrate) that first exposes girls to new information, then helps them apply this to their own situations, and finally, encourages internalization of healthier relationship alternatives.
(Fireside, 2003; with Charisse Nixon) Girl Wars
Halfway through the writing of my first book, I realized relationships were one of the key issues girls struggled with during adolescence. At the same time, my work with young women had opened my eyes to the concept of relational aggression (RA) which is sometimes called female bullying. To examine how RA impacts on the lives of tweens and teens, I obtained stories from across the country, and then, with my coauthor Charisse Nixon, wrote a guide that provides concrete strategies for helping girls cope.
(Perseus, 2001; Ballantine, 2002) Surviving Ophelia
If you’re the mom of a teen girl in turmoil youll understand why I wrote this book. In it, I share both my story and those of many other women who labored to keep their daughters healthy and sane. If you’re someone who cares about the mom of a teen girl in turmoil, this book will help you support and appreciate your wife, friend, sister, or other. And if you’re one of those feisty teen girls who battled her way through a turbulent adolescence and survived, buy a copy of this for yourself, and then pass it on to your mother.
(The Champion Press, 2006) The Starving Family
What started as a simple project at work became a book when I realized that parents had so much to say and share about the impact of eating disorders on the entire family system. Both mothers and fathers talked to me at length about what it is like to caregive for a son or daughter with anorexia, bulimia, or EDNOS. A companion workbook provides many tools that can help parents assess, monitor, and support their ill child. All my proceeds from this book benefit the Penn State Eating Disorder Unit.
What Is Relational Aggression?
The definitions vary from source to source, but my answer is pretty standard: “It’s the use of behaviors, rather than fists, to deeply hurt another.” Read more