Re-visioning, Restructuring, and Reconciliation: Clinical Practice With Complex Postdivorce Families ANNE C. BERNSTEIN, PH.D.w I address three themes in therapeutic interventions with complex postdivorce families: I begin by deconstructing the ‘‘Child of Divorce’’ as a dispositive narrative, or ‘‘script,’’ that restricts possibilities and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for children and parents in divorcing families and for therapists who work with them. I then discuss the gap between preconceptions and possibilities in the ‘‘new extended family’’ created by divorce and new partnerships, addressing such questions as family membership, restructuring workable postdivorce family forms, and how therapists can assist families in building both ‘‘good fences’’ and ‘‘good bridges.’’ I conclude by examining the potential for repairing rela- tionships that have become strained by marital transitions, examining the application of such concepts as ‘‘accusatory suffering,’’ ‘‘self-defeating spite,’’ and ‘‘witnessing’’ to family therapy with this population, with especial emphasis on the relationship between parents and their adult children. Keywords: Stepfamily; Divorce; Narrative; Family Therapy Fam Proc 46:67–78, 2007 A New Yorker cartoon shows the bare back of a man sporting an elaborate tattoo: Surrounding an attractive nude seated among flowers, a banner reads, ‘‘Ask me about my parents’ divorce’’ (Lewis, 10/30/00). The idea that parental divorce is the central theme in one’s life story, the datum determining all that follows, is widely promulgated in the cultural discourse sur- rounding children’s experience of their parents’ marital transitions. It derives its currency from the contributions of ‘‘experts’’ in formulating and framing the dis- cussion, the role of the media in selecting what to present and how, the sociopolitics of ‘‘family values,’’ and the personal resonance it generates in its audience. In this article I will examine three central themes in therapeutic interventions with complex postdivorce families: re-visioning life possibilities, restructuring the ‘‘new expanded Family Process, Vol. 46, No. 1, 2006 r FPI, Inc. 67 The author would like to thank Constance Ahrons, Jane Ariel, and Conn Hallinan for their invaluable assistance in the preparation of this article. wProfessor, The Wright Institute, 2728 Durant Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94704. E-mail: anneberns@wright inst.edu