Luke Barker, MEd, LPC, is a recent graduate of the counseling program at Youngstown State University. He currently works as a community mental health worker in northeast Ohio. He has 4 years of experience working with families in rural areas, and his research interest includes the impact of trauma on the family.

Gloria Bieret, EdD, is an adjunct professor at Buena Vista University. She is an RPT-S and has worked with children and families experiencing family transitions for the past 10 years and is currently in private practice.

Kristin L. Bruns, PhD, is an assistant professor in the counseling program at Youngstown State University and has 10 years of clinical experience. She has worked in college mental health, community mental health, and in a private practice setting.

Michael E. Deitz, MEd, NCC, is a doctoral student in counselor education at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has 2 years of experience working in university counseling centers, where he explored topics of blended families, divorce, and steprelatives. His current research focuses on the wellness of student-athletes and proper counseling techniques for this population.

Samuel Donham, MEd, is a recent graduate of the counseling program at DePaul University. He currently works as a community mental health worker in Chicago.

Kimberly Duris, EdD, is a faculty member in the master’s of arts in clinical mental health counseling program at Lewis University. She has over 15 years of professional work experience in the mental health field, including work with dually diagnosed adolescents, severe to chronically mental ill adults, and clinical supervision for master’s-level interns and master’s degreed professionals seeking licensure.

Kathie T. Erwin, EdD, LMHC, NCC, is an associate professor in the School of Psychology & Counseling at Regent University. She has 25 years of clinical practice experience, has authored seven counseling books, trains psychological first aid teams internationally, and is on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for international teaching and research.

Rebecca George, PhD, LPCS, is a clinical coordinator and faculty member for the clinical mental health counseling program at Webster University. Her research interests include social justice and multicultural supervision, and she has clinical experience working in community mental health and private practice settings to assist underserved youth and adolescents.

Tara M. Hill, PhD, is an associate professor at Wright State University. A professional counselor for 17 years, she has worked in community mental health and private practice, counseling families with diverse structures, including blended families.

Debra Hyatt-Burkhart, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Psychology & Special Education at Duquesne University. A licensed professional counselor whose practice of 25 years has focused on marriage and family counseling, she has provided in-home family counseling, clinical supervision, and counselor training using a structural family therapy lens.

Breanna Jones, MEd, is a school counselor at Fees College Preparatory Middle School. Her experience includes working with blended families and diverse populations in a high school in urban Chicago, Illinois, and a middle school in Tempe, Arizona.

Diane Clark O’Brien, PhD, is a faculty member and program coordinator for Webster University. She has previously published chapters for books and is a frequent presenter at national, regional, and local professional conferences, covering such topics as grief issues, aging, trauma, and clinical supervision.

Antonio Porter, MEd, is a recent graduate of the counseling program at DePaul University, and he has worked in higher education for 4 years.

Darrick Tovar-Murray, PhD, is an associate professor in the counselor program at DePaul University. He has taught counseling and couples and family counseling for 13 years and has worked in a variety of community settings for 10 years.

Naomi J. Wheeler, PhD, LMHC, NCC, is an assistant professor in the counselor education program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has extensive clinical and administrative experience with couples and families that includes work at a university-based community counseling clinic and research center.

Dallas Wright is a graduate student in the counseling department at DePaul University. His clinical experience includes facilitating adolescent and young adult therapy groups, and his research interests include reentry experiences in urban communities and the psycho-emotional impact of incarceration.

I must acknowledge the outpouring of interest from clinicians when I posted a request for authors on CESNET for this, my first edited book. The value of this book is directly tied to the academic strength and clinical expertise of its contributors. I appreciate their willingness to offer their individual expertise and to adhere to the organizational and administrative protocols for this project.

I gratefully acknowledge the thoughtful feedback provided by the reviewers who cared enough about the quality of the work and the value of its topic to offer their perspective for my consideration. I also honor the support and guidance provided by Nancy Driver, Carolyn Baker, and the professionals at ACA who helped me hone the thesis of this book and supported its enactment. Their consistent patience and input were critical to its evolution as I worked to strengthen the content while allowing the authors’ voices to emerge. This book has truly been a team effort. My name appears on the cover, but I could not have accomplished this feat without the notable contributions of the individuals mentioned here.