Christian Family Care’s service, Arizona Family Counseling is partnering with Scottsdale Bible Church to host a faith-based stepfamily support event.
This event will provide insight and practical interventions to strengthen step-families for success. Learn from merged family experts Steve and Deanna Kaech as they provide training and conversation to support step/merged families.
We use the image of a merge symbol to represent two families coming together. Like merging traffic, it can be tricky to navigate. Using the acrostic MERGE, Steve and Deanna take participants in a 5-step process to strengthen their family and ensure that their family thrives.
This event takes place over the course of two days. Friday, August 5 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, August 6 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Scottsdale Bible Church, 7601 E Shea Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 Event in Rm A8
Fee: $10 for individual, $15 for couple
*Lite Refreshments and handouts will be provided throughout the event.
Learn About the Speakers!
Steve Kaech , Co-Founder of “Merged,” LAMFT applicant
Steve is a therapist with Arizona Family Counseling and has worked with merged families for the past 19 years. Steve desires to work with all aspects of the relationships within families whether it’s the husband-wife, parent-child, or sibling relationship, and within all family types – nuclear, step/blended, foster, or adoptive – each being unique and valuable in God’s eyes in their own special ways. Having spent many years doing short-term mission’s trips around the world, Steve is keenly aware of the unique aspects that culture can bring to the therapeutic environment. Steve and Deanna have been married for 24 years and together they are a step-family with four daughters and seven grandchildren. They love spending time with their family as well as traveling the world whether it’s flying to a destination or cruising.
Deanna Kaech, Co-Founder of “Merged”
Deanna has been mentoring merged families since shortly after becoming a stepmom herself. She understands the complexities associated with these families and the relationship dynamics that can arise when two families come together. She has a BS in Psychology and is a Certified Life coach. She uses her knowledge to better assist merged families in dealing with all types of issues. Deanna lives in Arizona with her husband, Stephen (Steve). They have been married since 1998 and together have raised four daughters. Although her three stepdaughters and one biological daughter are now adults, Deanna realizes that her roles as mom and stepmom do not end – they just morph into something new.
Learning Activities:
MERGE
Manage: This occurs when we learn to identify our unmet expectations and surrender them. This module goes over several of the most common expectations couples have in their Merged Family
Educate: Education comes through training ourselves in merged family dynamics. This module looks at the Fruit of the Spirit in a unique way as it applies to our Merged Family.
Recognize: Recognizing where we are at in our Merged Family and learning to embrace it is a key aspect of this module. We will look at three common phases of a Merged Family.
Get Ready: This module looks at several potential areas of a Merged Family that we need to be prepared for.
Encourage: One of the key ways we bring encouragement to ourselves and others is by sharing our Merged Family story. This module will look at several ways our story can impact others’ lives.
Event Schedule:
Friday:
5:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. Check-in
6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Session 1a, Manage
7:30 p.m. – 7:40 p.m. Break
7:40 p.m. – 9 p.m. Session 1b, Manage
Saturday:
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Check-in
8:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Session 2, Educate
10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Session 3, Recognize
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Session 4, Get Ready
2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Session 5, Encourage
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Q&A