Relationship Therapy In Person and Online
Foster Counseling and Therapy offers services for couples in all stages of relationships as well as for individuals looking to heal and strengthen their connections and attachments with others. In-person services are accessible to the communities of Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, and Huntley, and McHenry County, and online services are provided throughout Illinois.
"Connection is the energy that is created between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued—when they can give and receive without judgment." — Brené Brown
Relationship Difficulties Might Be Stemming From…
Communication
Communication is the number one thing partners want to work on when they come to couples counseling. Each partner has grown up with a different background, different family dynamics, and has therefore built different preferences and habits around communication. Often partners will feel their efforts to effectively communicate with one another can go awry. When communication is struggling, connection is at risk.
Attachment Styles
Attachment styles, developed early in life, profoundly influence how individuals form and maintain relationships throughout their lives. Typically attachment styles are described as being secure, anxious, anxious-avoidant or defensive-avoidant. Difficulties with attachment styles are a common hurdle in relationships.
Life Transitions
Perhaps you’ve just become parents together, or your children are no longer in the home. Perhaps you’re navigating the loss of a family member or your mother-in-law has moved in for assistance. Maybe one of you is no longer employed or your financial situation has become overwhelming. When life shifts, so often do our relationships, too. Figuring out how to connect under new circumstances can be a challenge for many relationships.
Trust Issues
Whether from a breakdown in communication or from an event causing feelings of betrayal, trust is a very common challenge in relationships. In order to feel a sense of security in our relationships, we must have a sense of trust. Some common reasons trust can be broken include: repeated letdowns/disappointment, feeling negatively judged and criticized by a partner, experiencing infidelity or emotional betrayal, encountering abusive cycles in present or past relationships.
Emotional Distance
When partners feel like they are drifting or growing apart, it is a sign the connection isn’t as close as it once was. This shift can be prompted by all sorts of things including but not limited to: having less time together than you once did, taking on more responsibilities leaving you unable to have meaningful conversation, not experiencing repairs after you encounter ruptures, leaving you closed off, hurt, and guarded. All is not lost as therapy can help to close the gap and foster interpersonal healing.
Conflict Resolution
Often couples will come to therapy and report that they have a few main arguments they always get into. The reason these conflicts repeat is because there is no lasting resolution and old actions or habits resurface even when promises to change have been made. Conflicts can be filled with what John Gottman calls the four horsemen: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling. These behaviors, and often habits, make it hard to connect when we need it the most.
There is hope.
Meet our Relationship Experts
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Katie Higgins, LCPC, PMH-C
Katie provides a warm and supportive approach to help you improve your relationships by working with you individually. Whether it’s building up a sense of security and trust by recognizing underlying needs, working to help you heal from past hurts and ruptures, or helping you to identify how past relationships are influencing your behaviors in your present relationship, she will help you to navigate it with insight and empowerment at the forefront.
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Specialist Coming Soon
