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Offering Hope and Healing through Redemptive Relationship

Counseling Services

STEP-FAMILY ISSUES

Step-families are by definition the result of a disrupted family – whether through divorce or death. This, in and of itself, is cause for care. When into that situation someone is introduced into a family as being the “new” parent, there is cause for great care and sensitivity. Bringing together one or two families to reform a new family will not be a seamless process. There are bound to be conflicts and heartache, but through them, there are opportunities to grow into a family, not by sweeping things under the carpet, and forcing closeness, but through a gradual process of building trust and genuinely getting to know one another.

When there are young children who can not make sense of the changes that are shaping their lives, often attention is given to the family members who are capable of grasping the nature of step-families. And yet, a child’s lack of understanding syas nothing about the emotional impact that the disruption has on him or her. Children are the most emotionally vulnerable, precisely because they are not able to understand what is happening. Adolescents and Teens are in an in-between state. They understand what is happening at a certain level, but because so much of their life is outside of their control, they have a great need to have a voice and feel heard amid the change, especially when their opinions clashes with what is in fact occurring. And, of course, the adults who are remarrying have their own relationship to navigate amid those of their (new) family.

Grace Clinic can offer you capable counselors who are able to identify a family’s relational dynamics and facilitate honest conversations that will lead you through the obstacles to resolution to a place of healthy connection. If you feel that you could use the help of a caring professional to help find the right balance in your family’s life, we would love to offer you our help.

Quote:
"In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, [and] bridge to our future."

- Alex Haley

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