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

Many issues bring a couple to seek counseling such as communication issues, cheating/trust issues, constantly fighting, wanting to improve whats already good, and many more. My approach includes working with both of you to help you learn new ideas and skills to improve your relationship. My goal is not to take sides but instead to help each of you understand your partners perspective even if you don't agree with it.

Do you feel exhausted from the constant arguing with your partner and alone in your relationship? Are you losing the connection with your partner which helped you fall in love with each other? The good news is that couples therapy can help. When you see me for couples therapy, we will create a plan together to work through high-conflict situations and stressful transitions so that you can find peace again and rekindle the connection with your partner. Give me a call today for a free consultation and we can put together a preliminary plan over the telephone.

All relationships have their challenges, you are not alone. If you are you are seeking to overcome a challenging time in your relationship or you desire a more intimate connection with your partner counseling will help. My approach to therapy will give you the tools to reduce frustration, improve communication, establish trust and build intimacy. Most marriages, mine included, go through rocky times. But that doesn't necessarily mean the marriage is over. Working through your challenges will help strengthen you as a couple. Say goodbye to your relationship of the past and open your mind to a new kind of relationship with the same partner!

There are many different types of couples with whom I work - Traditional, Re-Married After Being Widowed, Step-Families, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender. Each couple and each relationship is special and unique. Therefore, the strategies we use to improve, change or dissolve/uncouple the relationship will be distinct for each pair of partners and will be based on the partners' goals.

Our primary focus on couple counseling is addressing conflict resolution strategies and understanding the root of the conflict to get the best approach to resolve the conflict. Our strategy is improving communication skills and deepening the relationship and interactions between partners by exploring each other’s perspectives, needs and emotions. We provide tools for enhancing interaction and managing conflicts effectively.

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.

I recognize that each couple is unique, in their approach to life and to each other. I would focus on their strengths, especially as work on their problematic areas began. I encourage open communication but discourage name calling; I also encourage the use of "I feel" statements. I would be interested in their individual life histories in that the baggage we bring to relationships cannot be removed, but responses to behavior can be altered. And sometimes awareness of why an individual acts and/or feels a certain way can be quite helpful.

What are the barriers to your individual and shared experience of life? What are the factors that can best aid you in achieving your desire for a harmonious union in your relationship. Frequently communication is a starting point that reflects individual challenges in effectively addressing emotional needs, forms of co-dependency, and long-standing ineffective habits. Working from treatment methods informed by the treatment theories of John Gottman, I seek to help clients learn to speak and interact in ways that reflect their vision for the relationship and not the unexamined habits of the past.

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.

Some of my clients call it a gift. I know it is my passion. Couples counseling is a perfect fit for me. I get energized whenever a new couple comes to see me. As a communication, relational specialist, I get to know my couples individually and as a couple by taking time to carefully listen and understand them. This allows me the opportunity to help them understand each other and where they are likely stuck in their relationship. Once I identify the negative pattern, I assist the couple in shifting the pattern into one that is mutually respectful, caring, accommodating, and enriching. As a result of my extensive couples work I am currently writing a book on respectful relationships.

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.

What are the most common couples' issues? If you are thinking "communication, conflict, sex, money, child rearing" you are correct. However, most therapists will go after the symptom on each side of the couple fence thinking that the way to effective change is by getting each party to "work" on their respective "issue". Many times the parties don’t agree but comply. Imagine if you could align the unconscious brains of a couple and stop the "working on your issues" part that has become so popular in therapy settings? Contact kevin@kevinflemingphd.com to learn how! Or call 877-606-6161. DR. FLEMING'S NEW RELATIONSHIP/COUPLES INTENSIVES. www.kevinflemingphd.com/marriage-couples-retreats.php

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!