Blended Families
Things aren’t going as planned.
You came together and formed this wonderful family! But wait; you thought you’d all get along, love being around each other, accepting each other, and life would be great.
The reality of this blended family is different. Everyone keeps walking on eggshells, and no one spends time together or listens to each other. There are comparisons of the previous homes and how life was before the new family. The kids are loyal to their biological parents, and this creates uncertainty and hesitancy about forming a relationship with you. The tension is thick.
Home doesn’t feel like home. And you don’t understand!
Even worse, you feel responsible for making everyone happy. You strive to manage your relationship and the children’s feelings, yet the results make you feel sad, stuck, torn, disappointed, and sometimes angry.
I get it – but things can change.
Imagine sitting around the dinner table with everyone focusing on your delicious meal. There’s a common goal to enjoy good food.
In therapy, we’ll explore the common goal for your family. Maybe it’s peace and harmony, or everyone feels ensured that after dealing with the outside world, they know a safe place will await them at home.
Of course, conflict will occur. Positive changes will occur as each family member learns to listen and trust that they have a valuable place in the family.
Therapy provides a time for exploration.
In therapy, we’ll explore each family member’s roles, expectations, pain points, family rules, and some of your backstory. No one arrived today and, out of the blue, said, “OK, let’s do this blended family thing.”
We will create a space for each family member to be heard and receive the necessary validation. We’ll explore expectations and the values associated with each. We’ll also explore boundaries that should exist within and around your family.
Together, we’ll create a picture of how you want your family to function and build a path to get there – a path leading to building lasting bonds and establishing family rituals and harmony. This new path leads to home being HOME!
Imagine harmony.
Imagine each family member looking forward to coming home at the end of each day, knowing that home is a safe and supportive space where they can express their emotions and perspectives and feel heard, accepted, and understood.
Imagine your family having a sense of cohesion, a greater sense of hope and resiliency, and a shared goal of seeking solutions that fit each member’s needs and the family as a whole unit.
That’s what we’ll work toward in therapy.
Walking on eggshells is stressful, and your family can use some help. Whether therapy is in-person or virtual, the lasting effects are real – building bonds, understanding the needs and realistic expectations of the family, and setting goals everyone can work to achieve.
Let’s schedule a free consultation. You won’t feel obligated, and there will be no pressure. We’ll discuss how to work together to help your family thrive.
Creating harmony within a blended family takes work, but there’s hope!