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Relationships & Connection

Couples & Marriage Counseling

You do not have to wait until your relationship is falling apart to ask for help. Couples counseling can help partners understand recurring patterns, communicate more effectively, address conflict, rebuild connection, work through trust concerns, and make difficult decisions together.

Support for Your Relationship

Build Understanding, Communication & Connection

Every relationship experiences challenges. Sometimes, recurring disagreements, communication difficulties, or changes in trust and intimacy can make it difficult to feel connected.

Couples counseling provides a structured space to explore these patterns, better understand each other's perspectives, and work toward meaningful changes. You do not need to be married or on the verge of separation to benefit from support.

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Relationships Can Grow With Support

  • Improve communication and listening
  • Understand recurring conflict patterns
  • Address trust and intimacy concerns
  • Navigate life transitions together
  • Make informed decisions about your future
How Counseling Can Help

Common Reasons Couples Seek Counseling

Couples seek therapy for many reasons, from resolving long-standing conflict to strengthening an already healthy relationship.

01

Frequent Arguments

Understand escalating disagreements and develop healthier ways to work through conflict.

02

Communication Problems

Improve listening, express needs more clearly, and reduce misunderstandings.

03

Emotional Distance

Explore disconnection and find ways to rebuild closeness and understanding.

04

Intimacy & Affection

Discuss changes in affection, intimacy, and emotional connection.

05

Trust & Betrayal

Work through infidelity, betrayal, boundaries, and questions about rebuilding trust.

06

Parenting Disagreements

Navigate differences in parenting approaches and family responsibilities.

07

Financial Stress

Address money-related disagreements and differing expectations about finances.

08

Future Expectations

Discuss important differences in goals, values, priorities, and plans for the future.

09

Life Transitions

Adjust to marriage, parenthood, career changes, loss, or other significant life events.

10

Boundaries & Expectations

Clarify personal needs, relationship boundaries, and shared expectations.

11

Separation & Difficult Decisions

Navigate uncertainty and have difficult conversations about the future of your relationship.

12

Premarital & Relationship Growth

Strengthen an otherwise healthy relationship and prepare for shared commitments.

More Relationship Support

Additional Couples Counseling Clinicians

These clinicians also have relationship or family-related areas of focus. Contact intake to discuss treatment fit and current scheduling options.

Joshua Kolakowski

MA, LPC, CADC

Focus: Couples, relationship issues, and Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.

Location: Lake in the Hills

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Cydney Oakes

MA, LPC

Focus: Couples, relationship issues, and Family/Marital and Family Systems.

Location: Rockford & Lake in the Hills

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Leila B. Nelson

MA, CCMHC, LCPC

Focus: Couples & family therapy, relationship issues, and communication.

Location: Rockford & Lake in the Hills

Accepting New Clients - Waitlist

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Frequently Asked Questions

Couples & Marriage Counseling FAQs

Find answers to common questions about relationship therapy, what to expect, and how counseling may help.

Does going to couples counseling mean our relationship is failing?

No. Couples counseling can be used during serious distress or simply to improve a relationship before problems become harder to change.

Is the therapist going to decide who's right?

That is not the purpose of couples counseling. The focus is usually on understanding the interaction between both partners: what triggers conflict, how each person responds, and what keeps the pattern going.

What if my partner doesn't want to go?

You cannot force someone to participate meaningfully. If a partner refuses, individual therapy may still help you understand your own needs, boundaries, communication, and decisions about the relationship.

Will a couples therapist tell us whether we should break up?

Generally, the therapist's role is not to make that decision for you. Counseling can help you understand the relationship, have difficult conversations, identify whether meaningful change is occurring, and make more informed decisions.

Can couples counseling help after cheating or an affair?

It can. Counseling may help address the impact of betrayal, establish boundaries, improve communication, and determine whether and how trust can be rebuilt. It does not guarantee reconciliation.

What if we're not married?

You do not have to be married. Couples therapy can be appropriate for dating partners, long-term partners, engaged couples, married couples, and other committed relationships.

Do we have to be on the verge of breaking up?

No. Couples may use counseling to strengthen communication, prepare for marriage, navigate parenthood, work through life transitions, improve intimacy, or address recurring problems earlier.

Can we do couples counseling online?

Telehealth can be used for couples counseling when appropriate. Both partners' physical locations and other logistical or clinical considerations can matter, so intake should confirm the setup.

How long does couples counseling take?

There is no universal number of sessions. Length depends on the concerns, how long patterns have been present, goals, attendance, and the changes the couple is trying to make.

What if we argue during the session?

That is not necessarily a sign therapy is failing. Conflict in the room can help the therapist see patterns that occur outside therapy and work with the couple to slow them down and respond differently.

Take the Next Step Together

Invest in Your Relationship

Whether you are working through conflict, rebuilding trust, preparing for marriage, or hoping to strengthen your connection, couples counseling can provide a space to explore what comes next.

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