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Stepfamily Counselling
When one parent remarries or finds another partner most children will experience the change, no matter how positive as a loss. Dealing with this loss is necessary in order for family members to move on with their new relationships. Stepfamilies are unique from intact, “biological families,” because of the special circumstances under which they were formed… circumstances which evoke some common problems such as:
Lack of understanding—
Members of the new stepfamily came into each other’s lives with out the advantage of a shared developmental history. This can make understanding each other much more challenging.
Issues of territory—
Each family member must carve out a “safe space” within the home, and a social role within the family structure. Major conflicts may erupt over such benign issues as: positions at the table, television programming, and which of you have the “real parental authority.”
Attention—
Blending families changes the way each member is attended to by the others. A family member may no longer receive the kind or amount of attention they need.
Expectations—
New family members will expect to receive the same treatment they had gotten used to before. Learning to trust new relationships is difficult if previous ones had been abusive.
Stepfamily counseling helps step families to work in harmony.
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