Single Parent and Blended Families
Divorce happens to about 40-50% of first marriages and another group of children lose a parent to death. While divorce and bereavement do not necessarily lead to long-term adjustment problems in children, there is a subset of kids who suffer long-term problems as a result of these transitions. Following divorce or bereavement some kids then have to deal with the unique issues associated with blended families, such as the myth of immediate love; how to have a relationship with a stepparent, stepsiblings, or halfsiblings; increased demand for limited resources, such as money, time and space; and how to manage the different culture, rules and expectations of extended biological family and extended stepfamily.
In spite of all these challenges, there are concrete, evidence-based strategies parents can use to help kids cope and to prevent their children from suffering long-term damage from family transitions. At PCS, we offer child therapy, teach parenting strategies, and provide family therapy to address the unique concerns of children and families who have experienced divorce, bereavement or repartnering/remarriage.