The StepFamily Center

In This Issue
S.O.S. for StepCouples Is Here
Why Can't My New Partner Love My Child?
Tip of the Month
Acknowledgments
What is a StepFamily?
A Note From the Founder: 

Susan Davis Swanson

 
Welcome to our very first StepFamily Life Newsletter from The StepFamily Center! I am here to provide help to stepcouples and to therapists who are working with people who are part of a stepfamily.
 
In this monthly newsletter, you will find useful articles, events and helpful tips that will help you navigate being in a stepfamily. I hope to provide some "normalcy" to the dynamics and struggles couples in stepfamilies experience. 
 
Please forward this to anyone you know. You never know who is silently struggling with stepfamily issues and would find this a breath of fresh air!

Your comments and feedback are greatly appreciated!  
 
Warmly,
 
Susan Davis Swanson
Founder/Executive Director
Join Our Mailing List
 
StepFamily Life Newsletter  
 
January 2009 

The StepFamily Center proudly presents:
 
S.O.S. for StepCouples:
A 5-part series to help couples in stepfamilies!

 
If you're in a stepfamily, then you know things probably aren't going the way you imagined. They rarely do. S.O.S. for StepCouples is designed to provide help and useful tips for success to couples struggling through stepfamily dynamics.  
 
Enroll now for the February class!

Also available is a StepMom's Support Group. Space in both is limited.
 
For more information, contact Susan directly at (310) 274-2780 or susan@stepfamilycenter.com.
Why Can't My New Partner
Love My Child?
 
It is said that nobody can truly love a child like a child's own parents. We were the ones who saw how precious they were as infants, and who they needed and depended upon growing up. We were the ones feeling pride at each and every milestone, as if our kids were the only children learning to turn over, crawl and walk. And we fell in love completely the first moment we heard the words "mama" and "dada." This love we have for our children is often so powerful that we cannot imagine how a new spouse, who professes to love us so much, does not feel the same way. Click here to find out why that's the case, and for some tips to manage the bond between a stepparent and a child.
January's Tip of the Month
 
The couple in a stepfamily (the StepCouple) has the most tenuous relationship in the new stepfamily! Make it a priority this year to learn about normal problems that affect stepfamilies and work on improving your couples' communication about it. It's a strong couple relationship that can better withstand the stresses and strains of stepfamily life! 
Acknowledgments:
 
Thank you to AYARN and Insight Treatment Programs for allowing me to provide a continuing education class, Anatomy of a Stepfamily. I had a great time, and your treatment center for adolescents is a wonderful program! 
 
Thank you Dr. Suzanne Tarleton, Jamie Deans and the wonderful staff at Promises Treatment Centers West Los Angeles and Malibu. What an impressive, containing and complete environment for recovery!

Thank you Nina Boski! I am delighted to be a part of your new webcasts! Everyone should check you out (www.lifebites.com) - a wonderful experience!
What is a StepFamily? 
 
A StepFamily is a family of two adults, at least one of whom has a child by a prior relationship. More than 50% of Americans will live in a StepFamily at some point in their lives, and StepFamilies outnumber nuclear families in the United States! Find out more by visiting us at www.stepfamilycenter.com.  
All rights reserved 2004-2009. Susan Davis Swanson, LCSW, The StepFamily Center.