Family Counseling Services in Pingree Grove, IL.

Life is complicated. It is hard to create and maintain healthy relationships with those we love the most. There are many different thoughts and feelings, from the past and present, that exist in all of our interactions with one another. It isn’t always simple, whether we are trying to effectively communicate feelings, establish rules for the household, navigate the waters of intimacy, guide our children toward a successful future or simply attempting to provide a healthy meal while working, studying, and cleaning. The world and our family lives are increasingly more complex. Though we all have the tools within ourselves and within our relationships to create thelives we want. Through our psychotherapy approaches whether parenting coaching, couples or...(view profile to read more)

Family life can be very difficult because of the number of personalities at work in one home. Acceptance is one of the many important keys to living in an open and safe home. Learning what roles are in play in the home and adopting new styles of interaction is also important. Power struggles tend to be one of the pitfalls to families who want to live in harmony. Learning to better communicate with openness and calmness allows for problem solving to take place.

The family is a very important and formative group in society and the magnitude of the effects of family dynamics cannot go ignored. We look at the individual roles that each member plays in the family unit and we strive for every voice to be heard. We set family therapy rules, so that we can provide a respectful place to process family concerns, trauma, and other past situations.

In family therapy I treat the dynamic of the relationship between family members. We all have a deep need to belong and feel accepted by others. This starts in our family of origin. If things are preventing us from feeling accepted by our families we seek other places to feel that connection. By helping each person feel heard, understood and accepted by their family members we can create significant change.

Families are system all of their own - expectations, communication and parenting styles, and personalities of the family member will form complex layers of interactions and reaction. In family therapy, the nature of these relationships between children, parents, and siblings is explored. Family therapy can help with a variety of problems and situations, such as: * Parenting tweens & teens. * Finding balance in blended families. * Divorce / Marriage * Work Transitions * Children with emotional or behavior disruptions. * Substance Abuse We'll develop new strategies that work for your family to help you define your values, communicate better with one another & reduce conflict.

Family therapy needs to be engaging for it to be helpful. It can be daunting, with some family members not feeling safe enough to say what they truly feel. Each family member deserves to be understood, and to be a part of something special. The family therapist needs to connect with each member of the family. Encouraging humor, creativity, and stretching comfort levels are all part of the process.

I'm a family man myself in a long term marriage where we raised two sons and now we're grandparents. I've " been there, done that" on so many family issues where respectfully resolving differences and conflict is needed for family growth. As a professional family therapist I enjoy helping families grow to enjoy themselves more fully. My approach is open, conversational, andgoal oriented. I work with families of older teens, young adults, families dealing with elder issues and with family businesses. I also see young families where the couple, the parents, need to find a new life pattern incorporating raising young children and while still enjoying their life as friends and lovers.

Kari Hunter is a licensed family therapist with over 25 years of experience. Whether your family has young children, teens, or adult children, Kari has worked with all types of problems. Families can benefit from family therapy when there is school performance problems, sibling rivalry, divorce or re-marriage transitions, or parenting differences. In many cases, insurance covers family therapy.

Family therapy focuses on improving communication and interaction in family system. This counseling commonly involves, but is not limited to, identifying parental dynamics that effect children, or vice versa. Sessions can include the family as a whole, or focus on individual therapy for the child/adolescent. The core goal of family counseling is to improve the psychological health of the whole family. Families can benefit from counseling when dealing with issues such as sibling conflict, addiction, illness, depression, financial stress and many more.

All families face serious challenges over a life time. Are you facing stressors that are affecting the entire family? Are you having trouble coming together to resolve issues that you and your family are facing? Your family can begin to learn how to mediate stress and begin to understand how a stressful situation can affect each family member. Together, we can learn ways that your family can use to get through a crisis. How a family manages a difficult experience, handles stress, reorganizes, and moves forward with life can influence current and long-term adjustment for family members and is important for the survival and well-being of the family unit.

In my family therapy approach, I focus on fostering open communication and understanding within the family unit. By creating a safe space, I encourage each member to express their feelings and perspectives without judgment. Utilizing techniques such as systemic exploration and narrative therapy, I help families identify underlying patterns, conflicts, and strengths. Together, we work towards resolving conflicts, improving relationships, and establishing healthier dynamics, empowering families to navigate challenges and thrive.

When working with children and adolescents, family therapy is often a part of the treatment plan since a child's or adolescent's behavior impacts a family and vice versa. I use a systems approach to family therapy and often explore the communication patterns, roles, and rules of the family. I help families examine the interactions and/or dynamics of the family that are working and the patterns and/or interactions that are not.

My goal in working with couples and families is to restore hope and a love to battered relationships. I believe in using a mix of practical assessment skills, creativity and humor with a genuine commitment to marriage and families. In addition, I lovingly challenge individuals to look at themselves and identify what is holding them back from fully loving each other. I offer dynamic and powerful trainings and assessments that will propel families and couples forward more quickly. My heart is to help couples and parents once again experience grace to see their loved ones the way God does.

In dealing with families, I strive to help to improve communication and conflict resolution techniques. Often, members of familiies mean well, but express their needs and dis-satisfactions in a way that increases conflict and turmoil. In home conflicts often escalate and lead to withdrawal or explosive incidents. A calmer, problem resolution is possible in and office setting with a neutral party. In such a setting, we are usually able to effect better listening to one another and achieve the kind of understanding and acceptance that leads to greater family harmony.

Family therapy is incredibly helpful for families experiencing stress, discord, arguments, grief and loss, as well as other life transitions. I provide family sessions for families who wish to process certain experiences, learn about patterns, and support one another through a difficult time. I allow each family member become understood as an individual as well as their role within the family dynamic/system, while we collaborate in finding effective solutions.