EMBRACING THE CHAOS — A STEPPARENTING GROUP

THURSDAYS at 7:00 PM in Brooklyn Heights

$125

From the Brothers Grimm to Hamlet and Dickens, stepmothers and stepfathers have been portrayed as evil, jealous, murderous usurpers, destroying families and children. The word stepparent itself comes from roots meaning “loss and bereavement.”

In the real world, being a stepparent comes with many challenges, not only the burden of the archetype, and taking on the role can bring up many questions:

What is my place in this already existing family?

What if my stepchild doesn't like me?

Should I directly guide my stepchild or just focus on supporting my partner as they parent?

How do I communicate well with my partner about my role as a stepparent?

Why do I often feel like a third wheel—missing the joke, the story, the reference, or left out of something entirely?

There are also many joys to stepparenting: An expansion of your inner world as your relationships with your stepchildren grow and deepen; becoming a confidant and supporter to your stepchildren in ways quite different from a parent; offering your partner a unique perspective to family dynamics, to name a few.

Embracing the Chaos is a group for stepparents of any-aged children. We meet weekly on Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm for 75 minutes. 

Please email me, Dr. Benjamin Stark, at benjaminstarkphd@gmail.com, if you are interested, to schedule an informational call. I have limited spots for sliding scale fee.