Stepping in, stepping out : creating stepfamily rhythm / Joshua M. Gold.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gold, Joshua M. (Joshua Mark), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Stepfamilies.

Family counseling.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (158 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Alexandria, Virginia : American Counseling Association, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This much-needed resource offers insight into building and maintaining satisfying and successful stepfamily relationships. As the number of stepfamilies continues to increase, counselors and other mental health professionals are likely to encounter clients seeking help in navigating these often complicated relationships. In this book, Dr. Gold emphasizes the principles and practices of narrative therapy as a means to address key concerns within the family system, reauthor dominant social myths surrounding stepfamily life, and create realistic treatment plans that are inclusive of all members of the family. Detailing the inherent strengths and challenges of the stepfamily experience, he provides an in-depth examination of the roles of each member in a blended family, including stepfathers and stepmothers, ex-spouses, grandparents, and children. This book is an excellent guide to thoughtful, practical, and empirically validated interventions for helping stepfamilies thrive. *Requests for digital versions from ACA can be found on www.wiley.com. *To purchase print copies, please visit the ACA website *Reproduction requests for material from books published by ACA should be directed to permissions@counseling.org.

Contents:

Stepping In, Stepping Out: Creating Stepfamily Rhythm

Contents

Preface

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Introduction: What We Know About Stepfamilies

Stepfamily Demographic Data

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepfamily Demographics

Myths About Stepfamilies

Myth #1: Stepfamily Blending Happens Quickly

Myth #2: A Stepfamily Is the Same as a First Marriage Family

Myth #3: Children Whose Parents Divorce and Remarry Are Damaged Permanently

Myth #4: Children Need to Withdraw From Their Nonresidential Parent to Bond With a Stepparent

Myth #5: Remarriages That Follow a Death Go More Smoothly Than Those That Occur After a Divorce

Narratives: Stepfamily Members Describe Their Own Lives

Deconstructing the Myths

Deconstructing Myth #1: Stepfamily Blending Happens Quickly

Deconstructing Myth #2: A Stepfamily Is the Same as a First-Marriage Family

Deconstructing Myth #3: Children Whose Parents Divorce and Remarry Are Damaged Permanently

Deconstructing Myth #4: Children Need to Withdraw From Their Nonresidential Parent to Bond With a Stepparent

Deconstructing Myth #5: Remarriages That Follow a Death Go More Smoothly Than Those That Occur After a Divorce

Conclusion

Resources

Chapter 2: Developmental Schemas of Stepfamilies

A Developmental Orientation to Stepfamily Success

Stage Theories

Early Stage

Middle Stage

Later Stage

Issues of Diversity

Implications for Treatment Planning and Delivery

Chapter 3: Marital Issues in Stepfamilies

Remarriage Rates and Stepfamily Formation

Reasons for Stepfamily Marriages

The Experiences of Spouses in Stepfamilies

Dominant Social Myths About Stepfamily Couples

Myth #1: The Wedding Will Lead to Mutual Love and Care.

Myth #2: The Marriage Will Compete With the Legacy of the Previous One

Myth #3: Everything Will Fall Into Place

Myth #4: The Children Will Be Happy About the Remarriage

Myth #5: The Marriage Will Take Care of Itself, Focus on the Children

Narratives: Couples Describe Their Marital Issues

Myth Reconstruction and Implications

Myth #1: The Wedding Will Lead to Mutual Love and Care

Myth #2: The Marriage Will Compete With the Legacy of the Previous One

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepfamily Marriages

Chapter 4: Stepparenting

Stepparenting Myths

Myth #1: The Stepparent as Rescuer

Myth #2: The Stepparent as Super-Parent

Myth #3: The Stepparent as "Pal"

Myth #4: The Stepparent as Nonentity

Myth #5: The Stepparent as Equal to the Biological Parent

Narratives: Stepparents Describe Their Lives

Reconstructing Myth #1: The Stepparent as Rescuer

Reconstructing Myth #2: The Stepparent as "Super-Parent"

Reconstructing Myth #3: The Stepparent as "Pal"

Reconstructing Myth #4: The Stepparent as Nonentity

Reconstructing Myth #5: The Stepparent as Equal to the Biological Parent

Issues Generic to Stepparenting

Considerations of the Age/s of the Child/ren

Discipline

Boundaries and Loyalties

Legal Issues

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepparenting

Chapter 5: Stepfather Families

Experiences of Stepfathers

Dominant Social Myths About Stepfathers

Myth #1: The Stepfather's Job Is to Discipline the Children

Myth #2: The Stepfather is a Friend of the Stepchildren.

Myth #3: The Stepfather's Responsibility Is to Compensate for an Inadequate Experience With the Biological Father

Myth #4: The Biological Father and the Stepfather Are in Competition for the Child's Love and Support

Myth #5: The Stepfather Expects and Should Receive Immediate Loyalty

Narratives: Stepfathers Describe Their Lives

Myth #2: The Stepfather Is a Friend of the Stepchildren

Myth #3: The Stepfather's Responsibility Is to Compensate for an Inadequate Experience With the Biological Father

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepfathers

Chapter 6: Stepmother Families

Experiences of Stepmothers

Dominant Social Myths About Stepmothers

Myth #1: Stepmothers Should Compensate for the Absent Mother

Myth #2: Stepmothers Will Become the Children's Mother

Myth #3: Stepmothers Should Insist on the Husband Prioritizing the Couple Over His Children

Myth #4: Stepmothers Who Don't Love Their Stepchildren Are Unreasonable, and so Are Children Who Don't Love Their Stepmothers

Myth #5: The Stepchildren's Mother and Any Relationship With Her Should Be Avoided

Narratives: Stepmothers Describe Their Lives

Myth #4: Stepmothers Who Don't Love Their Stepchildren Are Unreasonable, and so Are Children Who Don't Love Their Stepmothers.

Myth #5: The Stepchildren's Mother and Any Relationship With Her Should be Avoided

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepmothering

Chapter 7: Mutual-Child Stepfamilies

Experiences of Mutual-Child Stepfamilies

Dominant Social Myths About Mutual-Child Stepfamilies

Myth #1: The New Child Will "Cement" the Stepfamily

Myth #2: It Is Critical to Have This Mutual Child Early in the Stepfamily Life

Myth #3: The New Child Will Be Loved and Accepted by All the Other Children

Myth #4: The Parents Will Be Equally Excited by the Mutual Child

Myth #5: The Presence of the Mutual Child Will Mirror That of a Child in a First Marriage

Narratives: Stepfamily Members With a Mutual Child Describe Their Lives

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Mutual-Child Stepfamilies

Chapter 8: Extended Stepfamily Constellations: Relationships With Ex-Spouses

Experiences of Ex-Spouses

Nonresidential Fathers

Nonresidential Mothers

Dominant Social Myths About Stepfamilies and Ex-Spouses

Myth #1: Children Can Be Loyal Only to the Biological Parent, Not to the Stepparent

Myth #2: Divorced Couples Cannot Agree on Anything

Myth #3: Divorced Couples Want the Ex-Spouse Out of the Children's Lives

Myth #4: The Stepparent Is Trying to "Replace" the Biological Parent

Myth #5: All the Ex-Spouse Wants Is Financial Support.

Narratives: Spouses Describe the Relationships With Ex-Spouses as Part of Stepfamily Life

Myth #5: All the Ex-Spouse Wants Is Financial Support

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Ex-Spouses

Chapter 9: Extended Stepfamily Constellations: Relationships With Stepgrandparents

Importance of Stepgrandparent Connections

Dominant Social Myths About Stepfamilies and Grandparents

Myth #1: The Role of a Grandparent Remains the Same Before and After a Divorce

Myth #2: Grandparents Do Not Experience Loyalty Conflicts With the New Stepparent of Their Grandchildren

Myth #3: All the Grandparents Will Become Instant Friends

Myth #4: Everyone's Traditions Will Be Integrated

Myth #5: Grandparents Love Their Child's Stepchildren as Much as They Love Their Own Grandchildren

Narratives: Members of Stepfamilies Describe Relationships With Grandparents

Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepgrandparents

Chapter 10: Future Directions in the Study of Stepfamilies

Prevalence of Stepfamilies

Support for Narrative Therapy.

What Do We Now Know About Issues of Cultural Diversity and Stepfamily Life?.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781119246541

1119246547

OCLC:

932340383