Blythe WardBlythe Ward brings more than 20 years of experience to her work as an expert in the art and science of building happy stepfamilies. Her book Stepping Up to a Happy Stepfamily is the culmination of a heartfelt focus on the topic that has endured for mny years. As a stepmother, therapist and researcher, Blythe has a profound understanding of the challenges stepfamilies face and she is determined to share her message of hope with people struggling with the demands of managing an "instant family." Blythe believes that a stepfamily can be a loving, nurturing entity. And the strategies she sets out in her book are focused on giving stepfamilies the best possible chance of success. The daughter of a bush pilot and his loving wife, Blythe was born in Yellowknife, NWT. She has university degrees in psychology and education and a Masters of Education in Counselling Psychology. She taught children with special needs for many years, and after completing her M.Ed she established her own private counselling practice. Blythe's personal experience with stepfamily parenting came when she married a man who merged his family with hers to create a stepfamily of seven. It was clear that The Stepfamily was a unique topic area and Blythe jumped into an extensive research project to absorb all the wisdom available on the subject. She also focused much of her counselling on stepfamily issues. Today she continues to give workshops and lectures designed to support families as they create their own ways of thriving through the adversity of bringing two distinct families together under one roof. Today Blythe is pleased to advocate on behalf of stepfamilies. She lives with her husband, David, in Oakville, Ontario, and continues to enjoy her stepfamily with its next generation of new members. Read More Read Less