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Digital Seminar

Divorce, Remarriage, and Blended Families

$249.99 Standard

Divorce. Transitioning between households. Remarriage.

For kids, these changes can feel like an earthquake - shaking their sense of security and belonging.

Children often become distressed and dysregulated, struggling to cope with circumstances beyond their control. Anxiety, depression, defiance, and school difficulties can quickly escalate when family conflict becomes chronic.

Parents and stepparents face their own challenges, trying to stay regulated while supporting children through unpredictable transitions. Add in complications like substance abuse, incarceration, or sudden abandonment, and the emotional toll multiplies.

Watch child-family psychologist, Dr. Steve O’Brien, for practical, research-informed strategies to help kids navigate loss, loyalty conflicts, and blended family stressors.

You'll learn how to:

  • Build rapport and interview effectively in divorce and blended family contexts
  • Provide age-appropriate coping strategies for kids facing chronic conflict or parental health issues
  • Improve co-parenting and help blended families integrate
  • Use family-focused art, play, and game therapy techniques
  • Apply developmentally tailored CBT interventions
  • Treat family-related anxiety, depression, and oppositional behavior
  • Equip teachers with classroom tactics for distressed children

Empower yourself to guide children through some of life's toughest transitions - with confidence and compassion.

Here's What You'll Learn


CHALLENGES FOR CHILDREN FACING DIVORCE & FAMILY TRANSITION

Multiple Losses, Multiple Reactions

  • Divorce Do’s and Don’ts
  • How Kids Cope with Parental Missteps
  • Reduce Children’s Distress due to Dysfunctional Co-Parenting
  • Helping Kids Cope with Parents’ New Relationships
  • Divorce-related Grief and Loss
Blended Families Often Don't Blend; They MAY Semi-Integrate
  • Differences Between Biological and Step-Relationships
  • Through Children’s Eyes: Residential Invaders and Parent Stealers
  • Healthier Family Functioning via Management Rather than Resolution
  • Guidelines for Smoother Stepparent-Child Relationships
  • Guidelines for Child-Focused Family Therapy

Possible "In-Between" Family Scenarios

  • Companion-Only Parents
  • Parents in Chronic Conflict
  • Parent(s) with Chronic Health/Substance Issues
  • Incarcerated Parent
  • Sudden Parental Abandonment
  • Polyamorous Relationships

TREATMENT TECHNIQUES FOR KIDS FACING FAMILY DISRUPTION

Intervention Strategies for Anxious Children

  • The 3-R Approach to Anxiety Management
  • Daily Relaxation Rituals
  • Child-Friendly CBT (No Homework!)
  • Family-Focused Play/Art-Infused Therapy
  • Transition-Management Skills for Dual Households
Intervention Strategies for Oppositional Children
  • Root Causes of Oppositional/Defiant Behavior
  • Defiance as Expression of Anxiety and Depression
  • Social-Emotional Behavioral Assessment
  • Cooperation and Consequences vs. Compliance and Punishment
  • Creative Alternatives to Traditional Behavior Modification
Intervention Strategies for Depressed Children
  • Effective Rapport Building and Interpersonal Approaches
  • Child-Friendly Mood Management Skills
  • Game Play Therapy for Frustration Tolerance
  • Therapeutic Technologies
  • Emotive Communication Skill-Building
Interventions for High-Risk Children
  • Vindictive/Revengeful Behavior
  • Physically Destructive Behavior
  • Aggressive/Violent Behavior
  • Suicidal/Self-Harming Behavior
  • Non-Suicidal Self Injury
  • Repetitive Substance Abuse
  • Socially Rejected/Excluded Children
Assist Distressed Children at School: Tactics for Educators
  • ”BASE” Method for Assessing Childhood Functioning
  • Family-Related Stress and Academic/Learning Problems
  • How Family Conflict Leads to Defiance at School
  • Classroom Management for Disruptive Behaviors
  • Special Accommodations for Highly Sensitive Children
  • Feedback/Discussion Guidelines with Challenging Parents
  • School-Wide Solutions for High-Risk Students

Everything You're Getting


  • 6 hours of video content
  • Up to 6.0 CE credits
  • Certificate of completion
  • Handouts and resources

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Divorce, Remarriage, and Blended Families
Digital Seminar
$249.99

Meet Your Experts


Steven O'Brien, PsyD

Toggle speaker biography

Steve O’Brien, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with children, adolescents, young adults, and families in his Clearwater, Florida practice. He is a respected national consultant for mental health professionals seeking guidance on the treatment of anxiety and mood disorders, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and adjustment challenges in divorced and blended families.

 

Since 2017, Dr. O’Brien has provided continuing education and professional training for mental health clinicians, focusing on evidence-based interventions for anxiety, depression, and neurodevelopmental disorders in youth. He is the author of The Essential Guide to Treating Childhood and Adolescent Anxiety, a clinical manual designed to enhance treatment outcomes.

 

His integrative-systems approach combines CBT, interpersonal techniques, and exposure/desensitization strategies, all tailored to the developmental needs of young clients and their families. Intensive parent consultation—emphasizing psychoeducation, communication skills, and behavior modification—is a cornerstone of his therapeutic work.

 

Dr. O’Brien has worked in numerous healthcare environments, including community mental health, psychiatric, inpatient/residential, substance abuse, and medical facilities. He also served as associate professor of child-adolescent studies at the Florida School of Professional Psychology. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. O’Brien is an app developer (Life@Home by Psychtouch.com) and a frequent guest on local news outlets for his expertise on childhood anxiety. Visit obrienpsychology.com for more information.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Steven O'Brien maintains a private practice. He receives a speaking honorarium, recording and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Steven O’Brien is a member of the American Psychological Association and the Florida Psychological Association.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Register for this intensive training course without risk. If you're not completely satisfied, give us a call at 800-844-8260.

We’re that confident you'll find this learning experience to be all that's promised and more than you expected.

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Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)

Access never expires for this product.

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Media Type:
Digital Seminar
Product Code:
POS055205
Duration:
6 hours
Copyright:
Mar 13, 2026
Closed Captions:
Available
Format:
Audio and Video

ADA Needs


We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.

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