Counselling Stepfamilies: Who Struggles with What?

Abstract

This paper will review contemporary research on and with stepfamilies with the aim to assist counsellors who work with stepfamilies better understand the challenges of different types of stepfamilies and their members—especially as the number of stepfamilies has dramatically increased as has the diversity of types of stepfamilies. While it appears that all types of stepfamilies go through a significant adjustments phase, some stepfamilies struggle more than others, and stepfamily breakdown happens more in some stepfamily types than in others. In this paper, I will unravel some of the diverse challenges faced by different stepfamilies and different stepfamily members, and draw implications for counsellors.