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Jeanette Blackstone Psy.D.

About

Jann Blackstone, Psy.D., is a retired Child Custody Mediator for the Superior Court of California and is now in private practice and specializes in co-parenting counseling, and child custody, divorce, and bonusfamily (stepfamily) mediation. The founder of Bonus Families, a 501 c3 non-profit organization dedicated to peaceful coexistence between divorced or separated parents and their combined families, she is also the author of many books on divorce, remarriage, and co-parenting, specifically her most recent book, The Bonus Family Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Co-parenting and Creating Strong Families, will be published by Bloomfield Publishing in October 2024.

Dr. Jann holds two Master's Degrees and her Doctorate in Psychology. She coined the term “bonus” many years ago as a more positive replacement for the term, step. Step has always been regarded as negative, wicked, and second best. With so many families being formed after a parental break-up, Jann felt it was time to change the negative perception of step and create a more positive term to which families can identify. A “bonus” is an asset, something given freely as a reward for a job well done.

In 1999, Dr. Jann Blackstone founded and became the first Director of Bonus Families®. Bonus Families® Mission is to supply easy to understand, up-to-date co-parenting information via its Web site, counseling, mediation, and a worldwide support group network.

Dr. Jann is also writes a syndicated weekly column, Ex-etiquette, that offers help and advice on “good behavior after divorce or separation.” It is distributed by Tribune Media and can be found in hundreds of newspapers and websites around the world. Look for the weekly column and archived articles in the Ex-etiquette Department on the Bonus Families website. Dr. Jann can be reached at jann@bonusfamilies.com

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