Find a Therapist in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.

Psychotherapy is a powerful process that helps you understand yourself, heal emotional wounds, and move forward with purpose. Whether you're facing anxiety, relationship struggles, or simply want to grow, I provide a supportive and collaborative space where you’ll be empowered to make lasting change. Together, we’ll identify goals, build insights, and strengthen your emotional resilience.

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.

Being properly diagnosis is the first order of business. Feeling comfortable with your therapist is also very important. Having clear and concise goals for psychotherapy helps both the client and therapist stay on course and ensure a successful outcome in a time frame that allows for efficient change that is long lasting. Also working in conjunction with medical personal can help better use the therapy process.

With every client, I strive to create an accepting, empathic, and warm environment while building a strong rapport. Building a strong rapport and therapeutic alliance is a top priority of mine while accurately and empathically supporting the client and creating a treatment plan. Under my care and support, you will feel heard, understood, and advocated for.

It is not always easy or comfortable to share how you are feeling, what you are struggling with, or thing that are bothering you with others even people you are very close to because it is very vulnerable. I am here to help you with that process of opening up and talking about issues that are negatively impacting your life. Therapy can help you acknowledge the issues and become more aware of how you want to manage, resolve, and work through them. This path can help you work towards your meaningful life while address the issues that may be standing in your way.

Clients who work with me will find a warm, compassionate space where they can safely explore the tender places shaped by love, loss, trauma, and relationship struggles. I believe healing begins when our pain is met with empathy and understanding—within the safety of a trusting, secure connection. Together, we’ll move at your pace, gently uncovering what’s beneath the surface and honoring your unique story. Therapy isn’t about fixing what’s broken—it’s about nurturing what’s wounded, rediscovering your inner strength, and creating space for new possibilities. It’s a sacred journey, and I’m honored to walk alongside you as you move toward greater clarity, connection, and peace.

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.

Psychotherapy is the process where you seek out truths and understanding and throw away what isn't working. Then you build something that is better. I think the goal of therapy is to develop self awareness and this, in turn, will help create happiness. I don't have all of the answers, but I have a good idea of what questions to ask. That will help guide us to understanding and to develop a resolution to the problems you are seeking help for. For more information, please don't hesitate to contact me.

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.

Psychotherapy - for those willing to take the journey - can be one of the most amazing experiences we do in life. When a person gets insight into their own psychological processes, and achieves that understanding of how it all comes together and interacts on a psychological level, it can be really empowering, liberating, and exciting. This can also be a bit scary to try because usually there is a lot going on before someone decides to find a therapist. But any journey starts with that first step - and that first step can be a great step.

Psychotherapy is an effective way to gain insights, find hope, and get support. My approach is to demystify the psychotherapy experience. I am down to earth and like to provide support while also teaching you new skills and ideas to use in your life. It's not just talk therapy with me. In addition to processing stressors in your life I will also provide you with new real world tools to use.

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 is the informed and intentional application of clinical methods and interpersonal stances derived from established psychological principles for the purpose of assisting people to modify their behaviors, cognitions, emotions, and/or other personal characteristics in directions that the participants deem desirable" (Norcross, 1990, p. 218-220 ) We use Freudian-based theories, object relations, attachment theories and self-psychology to assist our clients in identifying and understanding the underlying issues that may color their current relationships.