Blended family counseling from our therapists at Thriveworks in Westminster, CO helps families who have come together through marriage work through changes, accept differences, ease tension, and form bonds. It enables parents to set boundaries and expectations around finances, parenting, and other areas. In addition, it offers all family members a safe space to voice their thoughts and feelings.
Blended family counseling will likely involve attending sessions as a group, but it might also involve individual sessions with each family member. It works by encouraging the group to share any emotions, concerns, or challenges they might be experiencing, as it relates to the family, and then offering tailored solutions.
Blended family counseling from one of our providers at Thriveworks in Westminster, CO can be short- or long-term, lasting for weeks, months, or years. The length is dependent on the family’s areas of concerns, whether they’re more immediate or they’re more complex. Together with your therapist, you can determine how long you should plan on attending therapy for best results.
The challenges of blending two families are many, but so are the benefits. When families come together, they may double the people, double the chaos, but they also double the love. Blended families can be places where deep connections are formed, where family members forge a unique sense of self, and where resiliency is built. Many families want to be blended into one, big, harmonious family, but they are not sure how to do this. There are many roadblocks that can keep families from coming together, but these common challenges also have common solutions. Skilled therapists can often guide the process through blended family counseling.
If you and your loved ones are coming together to form a blended family, know that you do not have to navigate the challenges alone. Thriveworks Westminster provides counseling for blended families, and we have worked with families who are at different stages of the blending process. We are here to help. Reach out today to get started.
What Can Blended Families Look Like?
Sometimes, blended families are called stepfamilies because a parent or a sibling or a partner are asked to step into a unique role. There are no limits or molds on what a blended family can look like. It would be impossible to list every kind of step or blended family, but here are a few examples:
- A remarried parent whose new spouse does not have children but takes an active role in parenting.
- A re-coupled parent whose new partner has children as well. The children and adults are living together, and both parents are actively parenting each other’s children.
- Divorced parents who are living separately but sharing parenting duties. They may or may not be dating. If they are, their partners are not involved in their children’s lives.
- Remarried parents whose new spouses take on a mentoring role instead of a parenting role in the child’s life.
Kids in a Blended Family
Changes, even positive changes, can be unsettling for kids. Often, in periods of transition, kids experience the most changes but have the least ability to exert control. Kids may be navigating challenging emotions that they have never felt previously. They may be grieving the death of a parent or their parent’s break-up. They may be processing the frustration of having two homes with two different sets of rules. These emotions can be a vicious cycle as they often cause behavioral problems that can make life even more challenging for a child.
Couples in a Blended Family
As a new marriage or partnership is forming, couples must navigate their own relationship, but they must also set the tone for the whole family. They lead their kids and themselves through the transition into a blended family. Couples have to forge their own, unique parenting style and possibly navigate their ex’s parenting. If they have never parented before, they need to learn and implement those skills. If they are not taking on a parenting role, then they need to clarify what role they will take in the child’s life. Any one of these challenges presents a number of difficulties, but often, couples in a blended family are navigating multiple challenges at one time.
Setting Up Counseling for Blended Families at Thriveworks Westminster
Are you ready to reach out for help? Thriveworks Westminster offers therapy for blended families. We know the challenges that can keep families from bonding, but we also know that in every challenge is an opportunity. When everyone is willing to make adjustments, it is possible to build a big, happy family. We accept many different forms of insurance, and we offer evening and weekend sessions. Let’s work together. Call for an appointment.
