Who We Are

The National Stepfamily Resource Center (NSRC) is a division of Auburn University’s Center for Children, Youth, and Families (CCYF). Dr. Francesca Adler-Baeder, Director of the Center for Children, Youth, and Families at Auburn, is the Stepfamily Association of America’s (SAA) former Director of Family Life Education and oversees the activities of the NSRC. In 2006, the Stepfamily Association of America, the nation’s only nonprofit organization focused on the dissemination of research-based resources for stepfamilies and professionals who work with them, voted not to renew its independent organization 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and donated its history, web site, and experts network to support the development and expansion of The National Stepfamily Resource Center.

Adopting SAA’s vision, The National Stepfamily Resource Center’s primary objective is serving as a clearinghouse of information, linking family science research on stepfamilies and best practices in work with couples and children in stepfamilies.

Current and planned activities include: resources for stepfamilies, Facts and FAQs about stepfamilies, posted research summaries and annotated bibliographies of stepfamily research, training institutes for family life and marriage educators, training institutes for therapists and counselors, media consulting on stepfamily issues, expert consulting on special projects, programs, and products targeting stepfamilies; and development of educational materials for use with stepfamilies.

Stepfamily Expert Council

Professionals listed act as advisory council and contribute to the content and maintenance of this website. Expert Council members may specialize in stepfamily-related research, policy, law, or therapy and may be contacted by members of the media or professionals seeking information on Stepfamilies.  Advice to individuals about a specific family situation cannot be provided. To find a stepfamily therapist in your area, please refer to the Quick Steps article Finding a Stepfamily Therapist or our list of NSRC trained therapists.

Francesca Adler-Baeder, Ph.D.
Auburn University
Auburn AL
[email protected]

Anne Bernstein, Ph.D
The Wright Institute
Berkeley, CA
[email protected]

Christy Borgeld
Stepfamily Activities Coordinator
Wyoming, MI
[email protected]

Dawn O. Braithwaite, Ph.D.
Willa Cather Professor and Chair
Communication Studies Department
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
[email protected]
430 Oldfather Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0329
(402) 472-2239 (direct)
(402) 472-2069 (dept. office)
James H. Bray, Ph.D., Director
Department of Family & Community Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
2009 President, American Psychological Association [email protected]
3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77098
(713) 798-7752

Scott Browning, Ph.D
Chestnut Hill College
Philadelphia, PA
[email protected]

Dora Capelluto, MA
Hispanic Stepfamilies
Weston, FL
[email protected]

Marilyn Coleman, Ph.D
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
[email protected]

Ron L. Deal, M.MFT
President, Successful Stepfamilies
Amarillo, TX
[email protected]
Elizabeth Einstein, MA/MFT
Ithaca, NY
[email protected]

Margorie Engel, MBA, PhD.
Northeastern University
Boston, MA
[email protected]

Larry Ganong, Ph.D
University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
[email protected]

Brian Higginbotham, Ph.D.
Utah State University
[email protected]

Mary Ann Mason, J.D., Ph.D.
University of California
Berkeley, CA

Patricia Papernow, EdD
Psychologist, Hudson, MA
Clinical Instructor in Psychology
Department of Psychiatry
Harvard Medical School
Author, Becoming a Stepfamily (Taylor & Francis) and Surviving and Thriving in Stepfamily Relationships (Routledge, 2013)
[email protected]

Kay Pasley, Ed.D.
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
[email protected]

Dave Schramm, Ph.D, CFLE
Utah State University
Logan, UT
[email protected]