To be human is to be in relationships.

We can’t survive without them but at the same time it’s in our relationships that we so easily come unravelled. Either we feel like we lose ourselves or we feel burnt out from unsuccessful efforts to make things right for another. It’s in our relationships that we can experience the very best of ourselves and the very worst.

The message of ‘Growing Yourself Up’ is that you can’t separate understanding the individual from understanding relationships; they go hand in hand. All of life’s relationships are integral to increasing self-awareness and growing maturity — and it’s not necessarily the comfortable ones that promote personal growth!

Drawing from Bowen family systems theory, this book takes you on a journey through each stage of life to see the predictable patterns of relationships and to show you how to use this knowledge to make purposeful adjustments in yourself. The result, though certainly not a quick fix, is a sturdier self, sturdier relationships and a refreshing new way of viewing life’s challenges and opportunities.

Jenny Brown is the founder and director of the Family Systems Institute in Sydney, Australia, where she has a counselling practice and trains mental health professionals and organisations. She has trained and earned academic awards at the University of Sydney and Columbia University, New York. Additionally, Jenny has completed many years of post-graduate education in systems approaches to counselling at Relationships Australia, Sydney; the Family Institute of Westchester, New York; and the Tavistock and Portman in London. Jenny lives in Sydney with her husband and two dogs and enjoys keeping in touch with her important relationships, in particular her two adult daughters as they make their way in the world.

'This book is an excellent resource for those interested in pursuing greater emotional maturity in their relationships (and those learning to help others to do so). In short, a wonderfully clear, thoughtful and engaging read. I recommend it highly.' — Elizabeth A. Skowron, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology, Pennyslvania State University