Stepparent role, agreed out loud
Bond first, correct later. We help you decide who carries discipline in this season and how the other parent backs them without undermining them.
Blended family counseling
Blended family counseling for couples who want to parent as one team
Stepparent roles, discipline, exes, holidays and money — worked out together with ordained pastors Leo and Tarran Carter, married since 1983 and counseling couples since 1999. Every session is online by video.
What we work on
The six fights almost every blended family has
Naming them out loud, in the same room, is most of the work.
One set of house rules
Bedtimes, phones, chores, respect. Children test the seams between two households; consistent rules close the seam.
Loyalty binds
A child can love a stepparent and still grieve. We give you language that does not force a child to choose.
Handling a former spouse
Boundaries, tone, handoffs and what stays private. Your marriage is not a committee of four.
Money across households
Support, gifts, college, and unequal spending on 'my kids' versus 'your kids' — named honestly before resentment sets in.
Protecting the marriage
Time alone, intimacy, and a weekly rhythm that survives sports schedules and custody weekends.
Also see marriage counseling and how online sessions work.
Seven days, seven conversations
The free guide walks you through children, money, family, conflict and hope — one honest conversation a day, with the exact questions to ask each other.
Questions
Blended family counseling FAQ
- What is blended family counseling?
- It is marriage work for couples raising children who are not both theirs. We help you agree on stepparent roles, discipline, house rules, money, holidays, and how you handle a former spouse — so the children see two adults on one team.
- Are sessions in person or online?
- Every session is virtual. You meet us by video from home or your office, and you can even join from two separate places when schedules do not line up. Nothing is recorded.
- My spouse says I am too hard on their child. What do we do?
- This is the most common blended-family fight we see. We separate the two questions hiding inside it: who carries correction, and how respect is required in your home. Once those are settled in private, you present them together.
- Can you help when a child has autism or special needs?
- Yes. We help you build one plan as parents — routines, triggers, respite, and who covers what — so the load is shared and your marriage does not disappear behind the caregiving.
- What does it cost?
- Sessions are $95 for 50 minutes, $350 for four, and $640 for eight. The app for both partners is $29 per month or $249 per year.
- Is this licensed therapy?
- No. This is pastoral marriage mentoring by ordained pastors counseling couples since 1999, not licensed clinical therapy, and we do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions.
Two Hearts provides pastoral marriage mentoring, not licensed clinical therapy or mental health treatment. What pastoral mentoring is and isn't.