What Is the National Stepfamily Resource Center Website?

Updated

stepfamilies.info is the website of the National Stepfamily Resource Center, an information and training hub for stepfamilies. Its stated audience is remarried or partnering couples and their children, and its content is organized around two main entry points: a featured program called Smart Steps and a set of quick resources and training modules. If you are looking for practical guidance on stepfamily communication, finding a therapist, or supporting kids through transitions like deployment, this site is built for that kind of question rather than for legal or financial advice.

What the site offers

The homepage presents two content areas:

Area What it contains Who it is for
Featured Program: Smart Steps A program for remarried or partnering couples and their children, focused on building couple and family strengths while addressing issues specific to stepfamilies. Children and adults attend parallel sessions and come together at the end for a shared activity. Couples in stepfamilies and their children
Quick Resources Popular topics and training modules, including online training on understanding stepfamilies, healthy communication in stepfamilies, finding a stepfamily therapist, handling a spouse's deployment, and getting to know your stepkids; also a relationship program called ELEVATE Adults in stepfamilies, including couples and parents

The site also includes a tribute page to Peter Gerlach (1938–2015), which signals that it functions partly as an archive of established stepfamily education material.

How to use it

  1. Start with your situation. If you are part of a couple forming or living in a stepfamily, look at Smart Steps first; the parallel-session structure is designed so adults and children each get age-appropriate content and then share an activity.
  2. Use Quick Resources for a specific problem. Topics like healthy communication or finding a therapist are listed as standalone modules, so you can go directly to the one that matches your need instead of working through a full program.
  3. Check the training modules if you want structured learning. The online training listing suggests self-directed formats; confirm format and any access requirements on the linked pages before committing time.

What to keep in mind

  • The site describes programs and topics but the homepage excerpt does not state cost, scheduling, or enrollment details. Check the individual program pages for those specifics rather than assuming a format or price.
  • The content is educational and relationship-focused. It does not present itself as a source for legal custody questions, mediation, or financial planning, so those needs call for a different kind of provider.
  • If you are a professional rather than a family member, the training modules and the therapist-finding resource are the most relevant sections.

For a first visit, pick one Quick Resource that matches your current challenge and read it before deciding whether a fuller program like Smart Steps or ELEVATE is worth pursuing.