Step Up
Step-parenting and the art of creating a healthy, happy, blended family
Will be published approx. on 26. February 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
304 pages
978-1-0354-1216-7 (ISBN)
Description
'I truly could not recommend this book highly enough, not only to blended and step-families themselves, but all those involved in their support' - Professor Andrew Reeves, BACP fellow and Professor in Counselling Professions and Mental Health
'Clear, accessible and understanding . . . A book many step-parents will have been waiting for' - Monica Hanaway, psychotherapist, coach, mediator, trainer, and author of books on coaching, leadership, and conflict resolution
'Reading this book is like experiencing a personal coaching session with Katherine. Her wisdom is personal, practical and profound; grounded in the theory but delivered in a straightforward way' - Damian Hughes, Sunday Times bestselling author and co-host of The High Performance Podcast
In this new book for couples forming blended family units, practising psychotherapist and coach Katherine Walker explores all the issues that couples face when combining their families. From how to maintain the couple's own loving relationship, to handling teenage tantrums, this is an easy-to-follow guide that answers every key question, and offers practical solutions.
Forming a blended family is a complex process. Each person in the unit arrives with their own expectations and understanding of the situation, and encompassing everyone's needs is not easy. Katherine offers advice on setting goals and values for the new family unit, techniques for handling conflict, and optimistic, experienced advice at every turn. Covering the main milestones from introductions to moving in together and beyond, and providing helpful tips and exercises at every stage, this book is a vital, inclusive guide to forming a blended family as consciously and cohesively as possible.
'Clear, accessible and understanding . . . A book many step-parents will have been waiting for' - Monica Hanaway, psychotherapist, coach, mediator, trainer, and author of books on coaching, leadership, and conflict resolution
'Reading this book is like experiencing a personal coaching session with Katherine. Her wisdom is personal, practical and profound; grounded in the theory but delivered in a straightforward way' - Damian Hughes, Sunday Times bestselling author and co-host of The High Performance Podcast
In this new book for couples forming blended family units, practising psychotherapist and coach Katherine Walker explores all the issues that couples face when combining their families. From how to maintain the couple's own loving relationship, to handling teenage tantrums, this is an easy-to-follow guide that answers every key question, and offers practical solutions.
Forming a blended family is a complex process. Each person in the unit arrives with their own expectations and understanding of the situation, and encompassing everyone's needs is not easy. Katherine offers advice on setting goals and values for the new family unit, techniques for handling conflict, and optimistic, experienced advice at every turn. Covering the main milestones from introductions to moving in together and beyond, and providing helpful tips and exercises at every stage, this book is a vital, inclusive guide to forming a blended family as consciously and cohesively as possible.
Reviews / Votes
Reading this book is like experiencing a personal coaching session with Katherine. Her wisdom is personal, practical and profound; grounded in the theory but delivered in a straightforward way - Damian Hughes, Sunday Times best-selling author and co-host of The High Performance Podcast It takes huge skill, integrity, experience and empathy to capture something so complex and interwoven and present it with warmth and compassion. This is what Walker has done here in this consideration of blended and step families. A book that is accessible and meaningful, broad in scope and nuanced in detail - all in equal measure. I truly could not recommend this book highly enough not only to blended and step families themselves, but all those involved in their support. * Professor Andrew Reeves, BACP fellow and Professor in Counselling Professions and Mental Health. * At last! Given the increasing number of us living in blended families it is surprising that this has not been written about before in the depth that Walker so successfully does here. Using her lived experience, her training as a coach, psychotherapist and mediator, in addition to considerable research, she offers insight to the issues all families face, but which have added complexity and significance in a blended family. She manages to explore these in a clear, accessible and understanding way, taking us through the evolution of a blended family, using clear case examples of some common dilemmas, offering ideas for reflection, and useful suggestions for ways forward. A book many step-parents will have been waiting for. * Monica Hanaway, Psychotherapist, Coach, Mediator, Trainer, and Author of books on Coaching, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-0354-1216-7 (9781035412167)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Katherine Walker is a psychotherapist, couples' therapist and blended family coach in her professional life, and both a step-child and step-parent in her personal life. With extensive experience of blended families, she is uniquely qualified to write this ground-breaking book.