About this item
Good friends and healthy friendships are crucial to women's well-being at every stage of life. But what happens when a friendship turns toxic? When a friend becomes hurtful or mistreats another? When a friend abandons another in a time of need? Here, Suzanne Degges-White and Judy Pochel Van Tieghem explore such toxic friendships and how women navigate the ups and downs, as well as how broken friendships can be mended and bad friendships ended. Explaining and illustrating the "rules of friendship" at various stages of life, the authors reveal what it takes to be a good friend, how to identify bad friends, and how to move forward when friendships turn sour. Vignettes of toxic friendship behaviors are shared, as well as tips on how best to respond to these rule-breaking friends in order to rebuild damaged relationships and repair a friendship's foundation (when appropriate) and how to decide when it's time to let go of a relationship that is bringing you down versus keeping you afloat.
About the Author
Suzanne Degges-White was born in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. She spent the early part of her career as a marketing research analyst for both a trade publications company and a specialty pet food company. After the "motherhood" role was added to her life, she returned to graduate school to earn her MS in Community Counseling and her PhD in Counseling and Counselor Education. She has been a licensed professional counselor in private practice for over a decade and is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling, Adult and Higher Education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL. She has won several research awards for her research in women's development. Her interest in social relationships and creativity in her work are inspired, in large part, by her three beautiful children. They continue to act as inspiration in many ways as she is at times amazed and other times baffled as she watches them develop into "emerging adults."
