Supporting Postdivorce Stepfathering: Directions for Family Counselors

Abstract

With the growth in the numbers of stepfamilies, plus the scholarly and clinical attention paid to their sustainability and success, their dissolution rate still exceeds that of nuclear families. This process impacts all members of this family constellation. Over 85% of stepfamilies are created by the addition of a stepfather to an existing family unit of a biological mother and children, so stepfamily divorce separates the stepfather from his stepchildren. In those instances, counselors may need to assist stepfathers to maintain their ties of affection to their ex-stepchildren considering stepfathers’ absence of legal recourse (n = 94).