Great Couples Counseling in Plano, IL. Therapy to heal relationships.

Is your relationship not where you thought it would be? Are you having problems with communication and misunderstandings? Has life gotten in the way of your relationship? Relationships take work and with careers, children and life in general, it is not uncommon for relationships to get off track. Collaboratively, we can work to improve communication and find that spark that initially attracted the two of you in the first place. We can discover ways to reawaken and relight the hopes and dreams you had for your relationship. For more information, please contact me or visit my website.

Infidelity. Communication. Past emotional injury. Criticism and Defensiveness. These issues are by far the most common issues in couples across demographics and locations. Yet, no two couples are the same. Each relationship interacts, relates and communicates in different ways; and each couple will heal differently. In addition, couples from the LGBTQIA, poly/nonmonogamy & kink community often face additional societal or family-related challenges that often impact the relationship. By reconnecting you emotionally, we'll work as a team to improve your communication, heal past injuries, revitalize intimacy, rebuild trust and create new pathways of love & acceptance.

Being in a couple is a dream-come-true for most individuals. Yet, when the romance, over time (generally 6 months to 2 years), melds into the routine, lovers feel lost, lonely, and long for the past. What does this pattern mean on the developmental, life-long path of a couple? Feeling attracted is Step 1. Making a commitment to each other is Step 2. Disillusionment is Step 3 before you (Step 4) shake up your beliefs about a "happy marriage." How could you and your partner rejuvenate and inspire your commitment? I can help you understand the Steps with powerful ideas for you to start applying today. If you spouse isn't ready, you can lead the way!

Communication, trust, and vulnerability are essential parts of a relationship. However, sometimes priorities and values get misaligned and couples find themselves growing apart instead of together. Our approach is realigning the relationship dynamics and restoring healthy and effective communication patterns to support vulnerable spaces and trust. In doing so, you may step into a healthy space with your partner. However, this change can only occur with vulnerability, respect, trust, and willingness to change.

In my psychotherapy practice, I create a safe, empathetic environment for individuals to explore and address their concerns. My approach to couples counseling emphasizes improving communication, understanding, and intimacy. I use evidence-based techniques to help couples resolve conflicts, rebuild trust, and strengthen their relationship. Through tailored interventions, I guide partners in developing healthier dynamics and deeper connections, fostering mutual growth and lasting positive change in their relationship.

Most therapists are scared of providing couples counseling because it is difficult remaining unbiased towards two people who are in the throes of high conflict. However, I love it and it is my favorite type of counseling to provide. In my experience I have found most couples get caught up in the details of life and begin fighting to be right instead of fighting for each other. Instead of focusing on what they need to hear they become consumed over how their partner has wronged them. I focus on restoring reconciling the relationship to a place that is mutually beneficial for each partner using evidence based interventions from CBT, The Gottman Method, Bowen Family Systems, and ACT.

Couples counseling can be beneficial to any couple in a committed relationship. If both partners are willing to participate, counseling can be effective regardless of sexual orientation, age, race or length of time spent together. Couples will benefit from tracking progress as it helps to promote emotional awareness, communication, and healthy changes in behavior. Couples counseling can benefit clients dealing with trust issues, financial burdens, resentment/unresolved issues, infidelity, transition phases and countless other challenges effecting the relationship.

Suspecting an affair? Have you just learned that your spouse wants a divorce? These are the types of crises situations that Kari Hunter specializes in. A relationship counselor for 25 years, she has worked with all types of couples to help them navigate the many difficulties that go along with love and partnership. Whether your relationship can benefit from conflict-resolution skills, communication coaching, or intimacy enrichment, don't wait until small problems become a crisis. But if you have gotten to the point of contemplating a break-up, there is a new service for that too, it is called Discernment counseling and it helps couples come to a mutual confident decision about the future.

Communication barriers and conflict are present in all relationships and it is most important to work through these issues together and in a way that supports growth and fosters love in relationships. In therapy I can provide techniques and a space for you to practice utilizing more effective ways to communicate that allows both people to feel heard and understood. I am available to help you work through conflicts and relationships goals in a safe space together.

Accepting and celebrating the differences that make up a couple can bring joy to any relationship. Validating emotions and not having to understand them reduces the amount of fighting that will take place. Watching for areas of stonewalling, contempt, defensiveness and criticism will allow communication to continue and not shut someone down or up. Learning how to repair a relationship on a daily bases will keep it on the road for many years.