Find a Therapist in Seneca, Illinois.

Psychotherapy is the process of talk therapy using a variety of treatment approaches to treat mental health concerns. While some therapy sessions can be more short term to deal with a specific concern, psychotherapy is typically a longer term process. The process includes helping the client understand their mental illness or reasons behind why they are having the troubles they are facing. Then using a variety of therapeutic techniques to help treat the symptoms and create healthier coping skills.

Processing and talking about emotions and thought processes is how change and healing begins for it actually changes neuro pathways in the brain. I have been providing a safe place for clients to process through their darkest fears since 1996. My clients describe me as direct and to the point, yet compassionate and easy to open up to. They also find that I am able to take the complexities in life and make them easy to understand so that they can start making changes to get back to the life they desire.

Psychotherapy helps you to tap into your inner-most feelings and subconscious thoughts that control social/emotional behavior. Psychotherapy techniques will help you to identify and cope with challenges that keep you from realizing the life you idealize. Therapeutic techniques may include, but are not limited to, the client expressing any thoughts and feelings without censorship (free association) or analyzing dreams for meaning. In doing so, the client will gain self-awareness necessary to promote healthy personality and behavior changes.

We offer thoughtful and engaging sessions to help treat your mental health concerns. We do so by building trust and providing evidence to support healthy, functional change, but we also do so by challenging your negative thought patterns. We ask if there is another way to think about the situation and provide skills and techniques for you to practice in session and on your own. Psychotherapy is a work in process.

I believe that success in therapy relies upon a foundation of mutual trust and a sense of safety, and that the therapeutic alliance is one of the most important factors in helping clients improve and reach their goals. ​ I identify as a values-based therapist who uses empirically supported treatment options in a safe and confidential environment.

Patients often describe their experience working with me as a journey characterized by compassion, understanding, and genuine connection. My approach is rooted in creating a safe and welcoming space where you feel heard and valued. Patients have shared that our sessions feel like open conversations, free from judgment, where thoughts and emotions are explored with a sense of genuine curiosity. Many have expressed a profound sense of relief in being able to share their struggles openly, knowing that they are met with empathy and respect.

Kari Hunter has provided psychotherapy for individuals, couples and families for over 25 years. She offers many types of psychotherapy for problems such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, child and adolescent problems, and relationship struggles. Psychotherapy today incorporates our knowledge about brain science and behavioral change. Evidence from research has led to development of treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness strategies, and many types of Marital and Family Therapy.