Stepparent Support for Freeport, ME Families
Helping stepparents reduce their loneliness and struggle while increasing understanding and connection.
Drawing from My Own Experience with Stepparenting
When I first met my now husband and stepkids, I looked all over for in person support. There are a few programs that do great work in this area, but they largely focus on helping with super high-conflict scenarios and court mandated support. This really wasn’t a good fit for us. We needed to understand more about ourselves, each other, and the kids, and not get hijacked in that process by everyone’s emotions running high. We wanted to connect with other stepparents, so we could help each other understand that we aren’t alone in the struggle, this is a genuinely hard thing to do, and we don’t just suck at it. Although statistically well over 50% of families include some sort of ‘step’ configuration, in our immediate circle, we felt really isolated and misunderstood.

A Different Kind of Stepparenting Support

- This is WAY harder than I thought it would be.
- I have no idea what my role is supposed to be here. Am I like another parent? An aunt/uncle? A friend? I don’t feel like any of those!
- I/my kids don’t fit anywhere in this ‘family’. I/we keep making myself/ourselves smaller and smaller.
- Am I really stuck with my partner’s ex in my life? For the rest of my life?!?
- My friends and family just don’t get it. I don’t even know how to talk to them about hard this is.
- My partner and I get along great except when the kids are involved, which is a huge portion of the time even when they aren’t physically with us.
- I’m completely caught between my kid/s and my partner and my ex-partner. Someone–sometimes everyone–is always unhappy with me.
- How are we supposed to make this ‘our’ family when there are so many already existing family traditions and dynamics?
Why Stepparent Support Matters
Benefits of Stepparent Support
- It is possible to be fully yourself and be a stepparent.
- It is possible to find a grounding and a balance in a stepfamily that meets your needs.
- It is possible to have a meaningful, healthy relationship with your partner, no matter what is happening with the kids/ex/custody/etc.
- It is possible to have your own unique, meaningful relationship with your stepchildren, that may look absolutely nothing like any defined role/relationship you can name or see in the rest of the world, and that is okay.
- Even if your stepfamily never looks like what you imagined when you started, it can be good enough for you, your partner, and the kid/s.


Do You Work with Kids, Whole Families, or Couples?
Get Started Working with Your Therapist in Freeport, Maine Today
When there is enough interest, I hold stepparenting support groups. For more information about these, click here.