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Mary Crocker Cook, D.Min, LMFT, CADCII is a licensed therapist in San Jose, CA. (www.marycrockercook.com) She developed and is the Program Coordinator for the San Jose City College Alcohol and Drug Studies Program, and is an adjunct Instructor with JFK Graduate School of Psychology. She is the founder of The IC&RC International Alcohol and Drug Counselor Certification Trust for India (www.iadcc.in)and has been teaching her course, Codependency and Family Dynamics, for over 20 years. She notes that her students take it once - she has taken it 2 times a year for over 20 years and is still learning! Mary recently has created a You Tube channel, Mary CrockeCook on T.V., to share episodes from her television show in the 1990's, Bay Area Psychology.
Reviewed by Janet Jensen for Readers' Favorite
In "A Developmental, Behavioral, Biological Approach to Codependency Treatment" Mary Crocker Cook defines co-dependence: “At its heart, codependency is a set of behaviors developed to manage the anxiety that comes when our primary attachments are formed with people who are inconsistent or unavailable in their response to us. Our anxiety-based responses to life can include over-reactivity, image management, unrealistic beliefs about our limits, and attempts to control the reality of others to the point where we lose our boundaries, self-esteem, and even our own reality. Ultimately, Codependency is a chronic stress disease, which can devastate our immune system and lead to systemic and even life-threatening illnesses.”
Ms. Cook has an impressive resume that demonstrates her versatility and many qualifications to enable her to write authoritatively about this and other related subjects.
Ultimately, the goal of Cook’s book is that the reader will understand the codependency issues operating in their own relationships, establish new thinking patterns and behaviors, and implement healthy boundary beliefs and behaviors.
I would say that you will find your highlighter when you open this book. I used it often as there were many statements and paragraphs that rang true and were very thought-provoking.
Most of us deal with codependency issues to some extent in various relationships, and understanding them and then developing healthy ways to deal with them are key to developing freedom from them. From that freedom comes the capacity for greater personal growth and more rewarding interpersonal relationships.
I found the book to be well-organized, logically presented, and practical in its approach. Most professional terms are explained for the lay reader. Helpful real-life examples of typical codependency situations are presented.
There are quizzes, worksheets, checklists, and a detailed bibliography in this well-written and well-presented book. It is loaded with valuable and practical information. I would suggest that after one reading, it should stay on your bookshelf as a helpful and authoritative reference book.
