Stepfamily Courtship

Author : Peter K. Gerlach, MSW
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 571 pages
File Size : 40,5 Mb
Release : 2003-03-25
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781450059961

Get Book

Stepfamily Courtship by Peter K. Gerlach, MSW Pdf

What ́s Different about This Book? This modular reference book and series for co-parents and human-service professionals is unique in the genre of stepfamily media for seven reasons. It is the only current resource that... Is based on (a) 30 years ́ clinical research, including over 17,000 hours ́ consultation with over 1,000 typical divorced and stepfamily adults and some of their kids; (b) five widespread re/marital hazards, and (c) 12 Projects to neutralize the hazards. This volume... Integrates six core concepts: # proven family-systems principles; and... # an inner-family concept of human personalities, linked to... # a definition of high-nurturance families; # a framework of seven effective-thinking and communication skills, # healthy three-level grieving and healing blocked grief; and... # a framework of stepfamily realities, meanings, and merger-adjustment tasks. A fifth uniqueness is that the book... Provides Internet addresses to over 150 experience-based stepfamily articles, worksheets, and other resources to augment its contents. This is one of several guidebooks for a free, 8-module self-study course for people interested in healing and self-growth. Lesson 7 focuses on evolving high-nurturance stepfamilies. And this book is different because of... My personality, writing style, training (BSME and MSW), and 72 years ́ life experience (engineering, business, teaching, and 30 years ́ practice of psychotherapy with hundreds of stepfamily clients). My learnings from personal "ACoA" recovery (from a low-nurturance childhood) since 1986 greatly influence this site and series of stress-prevention guidebooks. And... I have many years of personal experience as a stepgrandson, adult stepson, stepfather of two girls, and stepbrother of four - and an admirer of two haughty stepcats.

Author : James H. Bray,John Kelly
Publisher : Crown
Page : 289 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-08-17
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9780307803634

Get Book

Stepfamilies by James H. Bray,John Kelly Pdf

Based on a landmark longitudinal study, the nation's leading expert on stepfamilies reveals his breakthrough findings and offers the first detailed guide to easing the conflicts of stepfamily life and healing the scars of divorce. There are more than twenty million stepfamilies in America. For most of them, the simple, daily issues that challenge every family are even more anxiety-provoking. After conducting a comprehensive nine-year-long study funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. James H. Bray has written an invaluable book that explains why over half of all stepfamilies fail and reveals the strategies that help the others succeed. A stepfamily is assaulted on all sides by difficult and often divisive questions. How much control should a stepparent have over a stepchild? How much authority should a nonresidential parent exert over a child? How should a difficult former spouse be handled? How does an "ours" baby change the emotional dynamic in a stepfamily? Why is there a lack of "honeymoon effect" during the first years of stepfamily life? The purpose of Stepfamilies is to answer all the important questions of stepfamily life--to fill in the knowledge gaps that undermine so many stepfamilies today and, crucially, to learn the effect of stepfamily life on children. Based on one of the largest and longest studies of stepfamily life ever conducted, Stepfamilies interweaves the stories of real families to illustrate such study findings as how: a stepfamily has its own natural life cycle a stepfamily takes several years to develop into a family unit a stepfamily is at greatest risk during the first two years a stepfamily ultimately coalesces into one of three forms a stepfamily must solve four basic tasks in order to succeed a stepfamily can help heal the scars of divorce Filled with emotional, gripping stories, Bray's findings pinpoint the three major transitions in stepfamily life and identify the riskiest issues that can throw a family into crisis. Bray is the first to identify the several distinct forms that stepfamilies take and to explore which types of stepfamilies are more vulnerable than others and why. He also describes the natural life cycle of stepfamilies and basic tasks all stepfamilies must undertake to succeed. With a wealth of insight into the positive effects of remarriage, Bray shows how a loving, well-functioning stepfamily can lessen the trauma of divorce and restore a child's and family's sense of security. Most stepparents remarry with the highest hopes and new resolutions for a better life. Never before have their unique needs been addressed in depth. Through insightful case studies and practical advice, Stepfamilies reveals how a strong, stable stepfamily is as capable as a nuclear family of nurturing healthy development, of imbuing values, of setting limits and boundaries, and of providing a structure in which rules for living a moral and productive life are transmitted, tested, rebelled against, and ultimately affirmed. Bray's positive message and fascinating findings--many of which defy intuition--will put stepfamilies on the road to lifelong harmony.

Author : Ron L. Deal
Publisher : Bethany House
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 45,8 Mb
Release : 2011-04-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781441214645

Get Book

The Smart Stepdad by Ron L. Deal Pdf

While resources abound for stepmothers, stepfathers are often left to travel a difficult road without clear directions. Ron Deal offers advice for men navigating the stepfamily minefield, including how to connect with stepchildren, being a godly role model, how to discipline, dealing with the biological dad, and keeping the bond strong with one's new spouse. He gives perspective on what the kids are going through and why things don't work the same as in a biological family. The Smart Stepdad provides essential guidelines to help stepfathers not only survive but succeed as both dad and husband.

Author : Ron L. Deal,David H. Olson
Publisher : Baker Books
Page : 256 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2015-05-12
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781441266330

Get Book

The Smart Stepfamily Marriage by Ron L. Deal,David H. Olson Pdf

Make This Marriage Last a Lifetime Leading blended family authority Ron Deal and marriage and family expert David Olson show you how to build on your relationship strengths and improve your weaknesses. Whether you're dating, engaged, a young stepfamily, or an empty-nest couple, The Smart Stepfamily Marriage gives you the tools you need at any stage to create a remarriage that will last. Each chapter of this book explores one of the key qualities of happy remarriages as identified by research. Like a GPS for your relationship, this book has built-in discussion questions that can help you and your partner discover where you are, where you'd like to be, and how to get there. The online survey gives you a report with personalized results for your relationship. "The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the road map to a healthy marriage."--Gary D. Chapman, PhD, author, The Five Love Languages and When Sorry Isn't Enough "Remarried or marrying again? This book is loaded with specific, useful ideas for helping your marriage reach its full potential."--Scott Stanley, PhD, author, A Lasting Promise; research professor, University of Denver "This book is a must-read for any remarried couple. It includes the tools needed to create and maintain a wonderful remarriage."--from the foreword by Evelyn Husband Thompson, widow of Space Shuttle Columbia Commander Rick Husband, now remarried to Bill Thompson "The Smart Stepfamily Marriage is the most up-to-date, relevant, complete guide for remarried couples--I know of no other resource like it."--Francesca Adler-Baeder, PhD, professor and director, Center for Children, Youth, and Families, Auburn University; director, National Stepfamily Resource Center "This book will help you thrive in your marriage and beat the odds of divorce. The preventative information is the best I have ever seen, and the practical application covers it all. I have put The Smart Stepfamily Marriage at the top of my resource library for couples who find themselves in this beautiful and yet challenging world of remarriage."--Jim Burns, PhD, president, HomeWord, author of Creating an Intimate Marriage, Confident Parenting, and The Purity Code "Remarriages have unique challenges and different relational needs than first marriages. Based on a national study of 50,000 couples, this book is a wonderful resource for remarriage couples. Take the online Couple Checkup and get a report about your relationship, read the book, and build a relationship that lasts!"--Dr. Gary Smalley, author of The DNA of Relationships "You want a marriage that lasts forever, right? Blended family couples can beat the odds--this book will tell you how."--Dr. Dennis Rainey, president of FamilyLife, author of Stepping Up

Author : Ron L. Deal
Publisher : Bethany House
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9780764201592

Get Book

The Smart Stepfamily by Ron L. Deal Pdf

Each member has their own unique place in a family. Ron Deal explores the myth of the "blended" family offering practical, realistic solutions for stepfamilies.

Author : Peter K. Gerlach
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 515 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2002-11-12
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781469103310

Get Book

Build a High-Nurturance Stepfamily by Peter K. Gerlach Pdf

Note: hyperlinks below will take you to the Break the Cycle! Website (formerly "Stepfamily inFormation") that this book and series are based on. Use your browsers "back" button to return to Xlibris. This is the fourth volume in a series of six dedicated to breaking the epidemic [wounds + unawareness] cycle that promotes Americas tragic divorce divorce epidemic. The prior volume, Stepfamily Courtship (Xlibris.com, 2002), outlines seven Projects to help courting couples make wise commitment decisions. This book for stepfamily coparents and supporters adds five more projects based on the prior seven ones. If couples didnt do the prior projects (which is common), they can start the first six any time. A sobering reality: if either partner made any unwise courtship choices, its unlikely that doing these other 11 Projects will guard them and their dependents from the five hazards that promote psychological or legal re/divorce. Nonetheless, working at the the projects will give minor kids their best chance at avoiding inherited psychological wounds, and passing them on to their descendents like their unaware ancestors did. The five post-re/wedding co-parenting projects are: 8) Nourish your re/marriage and steadily keep it your second priority, after personal integrity and wholistic health - except in emrgencies. In complex multi-home stepfamilies this is hard for many couples to do; as they 9) Merge three or more multi-generational biofamilies, and evolve strategies to resolve inevitable values and loyalty conflicts and Persecutor-Victim-Rescuer relationship triangles; while you 10) (a) Build a co-parenting team with your kids other parents, (b) stay current on your kids progress with their many developmental and adjustment needs, and (c) continually adjust and refine your co-parenting job descriptions based on your stepfamily mission statement. Because all nine of these ongoing co-parent projects are complex, confusing, and conflictual 11) Intentionally build a support network for you and your kids, and use it regularly. Finally 12) Help each other (a) stay balanced personally, re/maritally, and co-parentally each day, and (b) enjoy this wholechallenging, en

Author : Patricia L. Papernow
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 2015-07-17
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781317758150

Get Book

Becoming A Stepfamily by Patricia L. Papernow Pdf

What determines whether stepfamilies remain together? What helps stepfamilies overcomes the difficulties of remarriage and become mutually supportive family units? How can mental health professionals better support this development? This book brings both clarity and depth to the unique and complex dynamics of remarried families. Patricia Papernow draws on interviews with over 100 stepfamily members, up-to-date research, a solid theoretical framework, and an empathic clinical sensibility to present an insightful model of stepfamily development, the Stepfamily Cycle. This details account of the sages of forming a lasting, cohesive group is richly illustrated by stepfamily members' own stories. Becoming a Stepfamily describes the developmental challenges involved in building nourishing, reliable relationships between stepparents and stepchildren, in the newly married couple, and between different family groups who must learn to live together in a remarried family. Papernow discusses the factors that influence the pace and ease of development, and she provides four full length case studies illustrating the varied paths through the stepfamily cycle to the successful remarried life. The author offers therapists, clergy, school personnel, and others involved with stepfamilies a range of effective interventions, including preventive, educational, and clinical approaches. She provides practical guidance for helping family members deal constructively with the differing attachments of children to their biological parents and stepparents, assisting stepparents as they cope with feeling excluded from the powerful biological parent-child bond, and guiding biological parents torn between their spouse's need for intimacy and privacy and their children's needs for support and attention.

Author : Peter K. Gerlach, MSW,Peter K. Msw
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 540 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 2003-04-14
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781401045746

Get Book

The Remarriage Book by Peter K. Gerlach, MSW,Peter K. Msw Pdf

Note - links below will take you articles and resources in the nonprofit Break the Cycle! Web site (formerly "Stepfamily inFormation"). Use your browser´s "back" button to return to Xlibris.com. Love is not enough... Typical new stepparents and bioparents (co-parents) usually find that building a multi-home stepfamily is unexpectedly confusing and conflictual. Most recent stepfamily literature estimates that over half of American co-parents who attempt re/marriage after divorce or mate death ultimately re/divorce psychologically or legally - despite their love, maturity, commitment, and experience. The "/" notes that it may be a stepparent´s first union. This unique guidebook results from 27 years´ research into why so many U.S. couples re/divorce. It appears that there are five factors that combine to often defeat love´s brightest dreams: unseen psychological wounds from childhood in stepfamily adults and kids, and... blocked grief from two or three major sets of losses in some co-parents and/or stepkids; and... co-parent unawareness of (a) their inner family of subselves and related psychological wounds; (b) healthy grieving basics; (c) vital parenting and relationship skills and (d) stepfamily realities; and... These factors and high neediness causing one or both partners to commit to wounded, unaware people (mate + ex mate + stepkids), for the wrong reasons, at the wrong time; and... Little informed co-parent support available in the media and their community. My work as a stepfamily therapist since 1981 suggests that courting and re/married partners can work patiently at 12 Projects together to overcome these five re/marital hazards and forge a strong, nourishing re/marriage

Author : Lawrence Ganong,Marilyn Coleman
Publisher : Springer
Page : 343 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2016-07-15
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9781489977021

Get Book

Stepfamily Relationships by Lawrence Ganong,Marilyn Coleman Pdf

This second edition synthesizes the emerging knowledge base on the diversity of stepfamilies, their inherent concerns, and why so relatively little is still known about them. Its extensive findings shed needed light on family arrangements relatively new to the literature (e.g., cohabitating stepparents), the effects of these relationships on different family members (e.g., stepsiblings, stepgrandparents), the experiences of gay and lesbian stepfamilies, and the stigma against non-nuclear families. Coverage reviews effective therapeutic and counseling interventions for emotional, familial, and social challenges of stepfamilies, as well as the merits of family education and self-help programs. The authors explore prevailing myths about marriage, divorce, and stepfamily life while expanding the limits of stepfamily research. Among the topics included: • The cultural context of stepfamilies.• Couple dynamics in stepfamilies.• Gay and lesbian couples in stepfamilies. • The dynamics of stepparenting. • Siblings, half-siblings, and stepsiblings. • Effects of stepfamily living on children.• Clinical perspectives on stepfamily dynamics. For researchers and clinicians who work with families, it enriches the literature as it offers insights and guidelines for effective practice as well as possible avenues for future research.

Author : Patricia L. Papernow
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2013-06-07
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781136701559

Get Book

Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships by Patricia L. Papernow Pdf

Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships is designed to be useful both to stepfamily members themselves and to a wide variety of practitioners, as well as to educators, judges, mediators, lawyers and medical personnel.

Author : Peter K. Gerlach, MSW,Peter K. Msw
Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
Page : 578 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2003-03-24
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781401061982

Get Book

Build a Co-Parenting Team by Peter K. Gerlach, MSW,Peter K. Msw Pdf

Note: links below connect to the non-profit educational Break the Cycle! Web site (Formerly "Stepfamily inFormation"). Close the pages or use your browser ́s "back" button to return here. Typical multi-home stepfamilies are riddled with conflicts between three or more co-parents and their relatives over child discipline, nutrition, visitations, custody, hygiene, religion, schooling, hoidays, loyalties, expenses, names, responsibilities, and other topics. The scope, complexity, and persistence of these disputes among ex mates, stepparents, and relatives can significantly contribute to eventual re/divorce. (The "/" notes it may be a stepparent ́s first union). This guidebook is part of a series intended to help co-parents and supporters overcome five common hazards that combine to (1) promote epidemic U.S. re/divorce, and (2) pass on significant psychological wounds to vulnerable children. The hazards are: co-parents ́ shared unawarenesses and ignorance of key information; plus... unseen psychological wounds from low-nurturance childhoods; plus... incomplete or blocked grief in kids and/or adults, which inhibits new bonds and adult intimacy; plus... courtship neediness and romantic illusions; plus... little informed stepfamily help in the media and local community. Typical nuclear stepfamilies include three or more co-parents (bioparents and stepparents) and several minor kids shuttling between two or more homes: Parenting effectively in this environment is far more complex than in "traditional" intact biological families - which catches typical co-parents and relatives by surprise. Why this book (and series)? Families exist to nurture - i.e. to fill key needs of their kids and adults. Most U.S. stepfamilies follow the divorce of one or both new mates, most of whom are parents. Divorce suggests that their kids weren ́t well nurtured in their first family, and have many concurrent developmental + special needs to fill in their complex stepfamily.

Author : Ron L. Deal
Publisher : Baker Books
Page : 175 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2021-09-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781493433551

Get Book

Preparing to Blend by Ron L. Deal Pdf

A Premarital Guide for Blended Family Couples If you want to enter a blended family marriage well, this is the book for you. Aimed at engaged or pre-engaged couples who have at least one child from a previous relationship, Preparing to Blend offers wise counsel on parenting, finances, establishing family identity, and daily routines for your new life together. Within these pages you will learn how to: · predict common issues · define expectations · create solutions You, your soon-to-be-spouse, and your children will benefit from exercises designed to accelerate family bonding and help you better understand each other. There is even a chapter to help you plan your wedding with your children in mind, so you can build a strong future together. Preparing to Blend is also an ideal premarital counseling tool for marriage coaches, mentors, and pastors wanting to prepare couples for complex blended family dynamics. If you are considering forming a blended family, Preparing to Blend is the resource you've been looking for.

Author : Ron L. Deal
Publisher : Baker Books
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2012-10-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781441271013

Get Book

Dating and the Single Parent by Ron L. Deal Pdf

Trustworthy Stepfamily Expert Offers Single Parents a Guide to Dating Single parents who are dating or want to begin a dating relationship wonder, How will dating affect my children and my parenting? They probably have figured out that "dating in a crowd" is complicated. Now they're looking for help. Ron Deal, who has counseled single parents and remarried couples for many years, helps single parents--as well as those who date them--navigate the potential pitfalls involved. He gives perspective on when a relationship may be harmful to the children as well as how it can be a blessing to all. Always at the forefront is the goal of strengthening families. Includes questions for individual or group study.

Author : Bonnell and Papernow
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2018-10-10
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0692187324

Get Book

The Stepfamily Handbook by Bonnell and Papernow Pdf

Author : Susan D. Stewart
Publisher : SAGE Publications
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2006-12-20
Category : Family & Relationships
ISBN : 9781483362380

Get Book

Brave New Stepfamilies by Susan D. Stewart Pdf

Brave New Stepfamilies maps the changing landscape of American stepfamilies, taking readers on a tour through the diverse assortment of traditional and not-so-traditional stepfamily forms that have emerged in recent years. Author Susan D. Stewart presents the latest scholarly research on stepfamilies in an accessible way, weaving together predominant theoretical perspectives, findings from research and national surveys, and interviews with stepfamily members.