Biography
Laura Marshak, PhD is a licensed psychologist and the author of   Married with Special-Needs Children: A Couples' Guide to Keeping Connected, a book which addresses a broad range of parenting and marital issues common to parents of children with special needs. She is a professor of counseling at Indiana University of Pennsylvania as well as cofounder of a private practice clinic where she works with many parents of children with disabilities.             

Nanci The Balanced Mind Foundation 
Dr. Marshak, could you start out by sharing with us what prompted you to write your book? 

Laura Marshak PhD   
As a parent of children with disabilities myself, I know first hand a good bit about the impact of children with disorders on a marriage. Woodbine House actually approached me to write this book in recognition of the fact that so many marriages are under greater pressure as a result of intensified parenting. They were also aware of the higher divorce rate amongst such couples. 

So I very much wanted to write a book that realistically looks at the challenges as well as practical ways to make marriages work better under such conditions. I also want to add that one of my goals in writing this book was to share ideas from couples whose marriages work well while raising one or more children with disabilities.

Research report that investigates the impact of adolescent onset bipolar illness on perceived family functioning. Author: Heather Robertson, et al