Counselling Single Parents and Blended Family

The Stepfamily Architecture

Do you know that a stepparent enters a new relationship as an outsider?

In first marriages, a marriage certificate makes a spouse a member of the family.

But in blended family setting marriage does not make a spouse a member of an existing family.

A spouse is an outsider working his or her way insider.

This is what is family therapists called “the stepfamily architecture”

Whether that will ever happen depends on a lot of factors.

The stepfamily architecture creates five major problems:

 Stepparents are stuck outside. Parents are stuck inside. The existing system divides what God has joined together.

 Children in stepfamilies systems struggle with grief, loyalty and transition.

 Stepfamily roles often divide the adults around parenting roles.

 Couples must establish a new system to replace the existing system.

 Ex-spouse dead or alive remains part of the new family in principles and practice.

These are some of the challenges that a counselor will be expected to deal with while counseling Single parents desiring to remarry or blending families.

See why this course is a must-do for all serious practitioners and single parents and those in blended families. I will teach you how to help the stepparent and stepfamilies!

We will discuss the 3 dimensions of help for the singles parents and stepfamilies.