TESTIMONIALS

From within the Chicago area

"Our experience with the Ardent Center has been LIFE CHANGING! We have been foster parents to special needs children who have required our parenting to be above and beyond what most would call "normal". We have also adopted a special needs son who is now 16. Without the help of the Ardent Center and Dr. Scott Terry, I don't know where we would be!

The tips and tricks we have learned have meant our survival. Also, allowing us to meet outside the "office" has meant a comfort level for our son that has been invaluable! We have also had flexible scheduling, phone calls in crisis and mom chat’s just to cope.

What we have learned with Scott will be the things we carry with us throughout life. In our home, in our marriage and at work. Eating right, breathing to reduce stress, no self judgment, and making our life better are huge. Not only has this helped our special needs son, but it makes us, as parents, better people as well! THANK YOU to Dr. Scott Terry and the Ardent Center. Thank you for being there when our family needed you!"

Chris, Channahon, IL:

Family counseling

in and around the Chicago area & anywhere via the internet

This can involve family counseling concerns such as:

parent-child (and total family) interactions
siblings not relating well
support for siblings and parents of special needs children
parenting issues
post-adoption issues
blended family difficulties (eg step-families, foster families, guardian issues)
multi-generational family concerns.

Often times, your families are the ones who made you the person that you are. Families are constantly changing, and throughout those changes, hurdles may arise.

We can help to change the way your family is communicating with each other, so that each individual can grow and contribute to the family. Each family is different; our therapists help to identify the deeper issue that might be affecting the family.

Within families, it is important to realize that we each affect each other. And we have often been affected by our parents, just as they were affected by their parents. W e are also affected by our social environment. For example, our children are affected by their teachers at school.

We can help your family to really work as a positive and productive team, so each individual can grow and contribute to each other.

Examples of family problems

A mother and step-son are having problems relating to each other. The teenage step-son does not feel comfortable to have open and honest discussions with the mother. After meeting with the mother and step-son, our therapist learned that the son has ADD, which the mother did not know how to deal with properly. Our therapist helped the family to understand the issue, and to work out ways that the step-son can talk with the mother. Communication is key in every relationship, and through a more open communication, feelings are expressed better.

A young father feels pressure from his parents, overwhelmed by having a new baby, and increased work load. His fear is that he is going to alienate himself from his wife, and newborn son. Our therapist helped him to talk about his stress, and to find different ways that he can deal with the stress, and possible options to remove some of the stress in his life.

Life is complicated. Families are complicated. And family therapy can help you to make sense of it.

What should I do next?

Contact us to arrange for face to face family therapy in Chicago (city, north, west and southsides) and in the Northern, Southern and Western Suburbs or online therapy in other areas by phoning 1-888-870-1775 or by contacting us.