What Works (and What Doesn’t) for “Blended Families”: What Family Law Professionals Need to Know

Stepparents and stepfamily dynamics play pivotal roles in post-divorce families that powerfully impact the well-being of both children and adults. However, they remain almost completely absent from post-divorce judicial processes, co-parenting processes, divorce education, parenting evaluations, family therapy orders, and books on parenting plans. This is likely rooted in stepparents’ lack of legal standing plus the assumption that stepfamilies are just new first-time families. In fact, navigating stepfamily challenges with a first-time family map is a bit like driving on the L.A. Freeway with a map of Indianapolis. The “wrong turns” make tension, pain and multiple accidents for both children and adults and they contribute to Resist-Refuse Dynamics.

This webinar will describe the fundamental differences between stepfamilies and first-time families, the normal predictable challenges this family structure creates for all involved. You’ll leave with some of the now-substantial research about what works (and what doesn’t) to meet those challenges and some warnings
about “easy wrong turns” for stepfamily members and helping professionals, as well as some beginning ideas about including stepparents in post-divorce processes.

Dr. Patricia Papernow has taught all over the U.S. and the world sharing what five decades of research and clinical work tell us about best practices for meeting the often-intense challenges for kids and adults in “blended families.” She has authored dozens of articles and book chapters as well as the leading books in the field including Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships: What Works and What Doesn’t, and, with Karen Bonnell, The Stepfamily Handbook: From Dating to Getting Serious to Forming a “Blended Family.” She is the recipient of multiple awards for her contributions.

Meeting link and materials will be sent a day prior to the event.