Blended Family Issues Help for Blended Families at Lukin Center Expert Blended Family Therapy in Northern New Jersey When a new marriage involves children from a previous relationship, coming together under one roof can be challenging. Creating a healthy stepfamily, or “blended family,” takes time, understanding, and work from everyone involved. The first few years can be a big learning curve for any blended family. Children might be angry or resentful of step parents or siblings; partners might have different parenting styles or disagree about finances. Ex-spouses or biological parents can add yet another layer to navigate. Parents can help make this adjustment period smooth and successful with planning, understanding, and most importantly, being open to growing pains as they come. Blended Family Issues at a Glance Blended families, or stepfamilies, are formed when separated or widowed parent(s) remarry. Healthy stepfamilies don’t happen overnight! It takes time to establish healthy bonds and routines. Blended families can be just as strong as biological ones. Combining families can be hard on couples relationships as well as parent-child and sibling dynamics. Specialized blended family counseling can help families learn to address complex issues before, during, and after remarriage. There’s no clear road map for how to combine families; every family is different. Therapy can help. At Lukin Center, we help blended families learn to communicate and build a healthy dynamic that fits. Blended family counseling helps you plan for common issues that arise as families come together, and helps you learn to communicate and problem-solve as a new unit. With patience, respect, and support, healthy bonds can form and new routines can become positive family traditions. What are the Common Issues for Blended Families? Bringing two families together or introducing a stepparent into the mix is bound to cause some friction. It’s normal for families to have disagreements, uncomfortable situations, and mistakes along the way. Blended Family Counseling helps families use those situations as opportunities address common issues, such as: Sibling and step-sibling rivalry Step parent discipline Children’s behavioral issues Bonding issues Non-residential parent roles and expectations Maintaining relationships with non-residential parents Building trust with stepparents Establishing new family routines Navigating visitation and parenting plans Grief and loss after divorce Sharing parenting duties Introducing a baby into a blended family Caring for new marriage Partner conflict Blended family finances Your blended family can become a strong, healthy unit built on trust and strong bonds. We can help you get there. Blended Family Counseling creates a safe space for all members of the family to express their fears and frustrations, learn to communicate with each other, and establish healthy, loving connections that last a lifetime. How can Lukin Center Help Me with Blended Family Issues? If you’re dealing with Blended Family Issues, a trusted counselor can help before, during, and after remarriage. Blended Family Counseling is a “blend” itself, combining individual therapy, family therapy, and couples counseling to help ease tensions and resolve conflicts. You’ll learn to address issues as a family and plan for future challenges together. Lukin Center clinicians must maintain the highest possible degrees and certifications in their fields, including best practices for Blended Family Counseling. As one of the largest mental health therapy practices in Northern New Jersey, Lukin Center gives you access to more highly trained therapists and a broader range of specialties, so you can get exactly the help you need. We’ll help you connect with the right mental health professional to get the results you want.
