ABOUT DR. PERRY
Dr. Charity Perry holds advanced degrees in sociology and marriage and family therapy, and is considered to be the national expert on the 'Transition Day' in Blended Families, she is also a leading expert in the field of blended families and stepfamilies in Southern California. Dr. Perry has also been certified as a stepfamily coach by the worlds leading authority on stepfamilies, The Stepfamily Foundation. Dr. Perry has childhood and adult teaching experience from both private and state educational institutions.
Dr. Perry truly embodies the spirit of diversity, and is a champion of her students providing them with mentorship, advisement, and support. In 2017, Dr. Perry was awarded the title of 'A Distinguished Woman' of California State University, Los Angeles. This award is granted one time per year for up to twelve women. It is one of the highest honors for women on the campus, and is a University wide selection. The Distingued Women Award is given to women for their outstanding achievements and significant contributions to the University and the community. Honorees of this award are recognized specifically for their diverse work that embodies Calstate LA's mission of engagement, service, and the public good. You can read more about this particular event here: /univ/ppa/publicat/cal-state-la-honors-12-distinguished-women-dedication-and-service
As mentioned above, Dr. Perry is most revered for her focus on Blended Families and Stepfamilies with her area of expertise on the transition day, the time children prepare to leave one custodial home for another, or vice-versa. Dr. Perry has published numerous qualitative studies in peer-reviewed academic journals highlighting this particular day. Dr. Perry refers to the 'Transition Day' as the ''Transition Daze©," a term she coined in her scholarly work. Feel free to read a bit more about this topic below.
WHAT IS THE "TRANSITION DAZE"?
To greater understand the dynamics and plights of stepfamilies, we must understand how emotional times affect each family. One of the most emotionally fraught times of a stepfamily is the day the children prepare to leave your home for the other parent, or vice-versa. Having a smooth transition is helpful for all members of the family, yet this time is typically a time of emotional upheaval that never seems to go away or if it begins to improve, it is time to transition again. The 'Transition Day' can set the tone in a positive, or negative way for children or stepchildren, and certainly for a couple. Everyone in the family is uniquely in their own "transition daze©," as it is inevitable due to the fragility of emotions within each person of a family unit.
Lastly, in addition to her publications on blended families and stepfamilies, she has also published peer-reviewed journal articles in the areas of poverty, and solution-focused therapy as well. Dr. Perry also maintains a significant client load at Fraser Associates in Pasadena, California. Her work there focuses on stepfamilies and blended families, along with high-conflict divorce mediation, and high-conflict parenting education.