Non-Traditional Family Counseling

“Family life is full of major and minor crises – the ups and downs of health, success and failure in career, marriage, and divorce – and all kinds of characters. It is tied to places and events and histories. With all of these felt details, life etches itself into memory and personality. It’s difficult to imagine anything more nourishing to the soul.” — Thomas Moore

Today’s non-traditional or modern families include blended/step parent or single parent families, families facing separation or divorce, and co-parent & LGBT-parent families. Your modern family may face embedded, short-term or situational challenges. We can work together to help you identify, address and strengthen your family’s comfort in your communities, interconnections and intimacies and work through life’s transitions.

Blended Families/Step Families: As a blended family you are faced with numerous challenges which may include:

  • the role that the ‘ex’ plays in your family and how to best traverse your particular situation
  • the ways in which your children act out and express their emotions related to their losses and their new routines
  • the pain and grief associated with the loss of the first marriage and family system
  • the power of guilt as a motivator on the part of the parent who chose to initiate the divorce, or
  • the beliefs and old patterns from the past that get in the way of your current connections and intimacies.

Single Parents: Whether a single parent by choice or through death or estrangement, single parenting presents numerous challenges from figuring out how to find a moment to yourself to helping your children negotiate their peers’ questions and curiosities. I offer telephone and in-office consultation services to single parents who may struggle with a single issue, wish to work through a series of challenges short term, or who will benefit from longer term psychotherapy and parenting support.

LGBT-Parent Families: Sometimes you and your family face questions and challenges best talked through with someone who has been there or who understands the territory. Many issues are faced by all types of families but you’d prefer to talk to someone who has experience working with your family structure. Other times you will face questions potentially unique to you and your family system and these may include:

  • How do we decide how best to create our family through assisted conception?
  • How do we talk to our children about their creation? How does our story change over time?
  • Our daughter came home with a bloody nose describing kids calling her a dyke, what do we do?
  • Our son doesn’t want us to go to back-to-school night together. How can we support his needs while remaining true to our own beliefs and our proud family?
  • Why do we feel so much pressure to be the perfect family?

Child-Centered Separation and Divorce: I also work with families who are going through separation or divorce and want to assure that their plans consider what is emotionally and developmentally best for their children. Separation and divorce are two of the most difficult changes we ever encounter and having someone to help you and your spouse keep in mind the needs of your children will help to ease the transition for all of you.

Contact Me:
I am available to work with you individually, as a couple, or as a family on these and other issues. Contact me at (510) 686-3773 or shannondubach@gmail.com and we will discuss your situation and how best to proceed.

Additional Resources:

Phone: 510-686-3773
shannondubach@gmail.com

Licensed in
Washington State and California