We do not fail when we realize we need help. We only fail when we know we need it and do not accept it. Couples are all about having an expensive wedding. Much goes into saying “yes to the dress”. I believe it is much more important to say yes to the help.

Patty and I met in our late teens. I was a sophomore in college and she was a freshman. We dated, fell in love and got married two months after graduation.

Neither of us had much dating experience prior to meeting each other. Neither of us had much in the way of life experience. We both grew up in very sheltered homes and were clueless about life and marriage.

We rented a tiny apartment a week before we married. We almost spent the first few months living in some friends of my parent’s basement. When we spoke our vows for better or for worse, we didn’t even have jobs.

We adored each other but had no idea what we were doing. About 6 months into our marriage, it was so obvious we were floundering, some older friends (in their 30’s) asked if they could lend us a hand. We said yes to the help.

Over the last 43 years we have said yes to the help many times. We have had help with our marriage, with our parenting, with our finances and with our careers. We have had help through some very difficult life experiences.

Has it paid off? You bet.

Patty is an incredible wife. She is my best friend—the first person I want to share good news with and the first person I want to lean on for love and support. We have literally grown up together and are looking forward to growing old together as well.

We have grown so much together over the years, we even teach classes and mentor young couples. Patty is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University in Family Services and Psychology. Additionally, she earned a Graduate Certificate in counseling from Harding University. 

We have three incredible children married to incredible spouses. All six are our kids and all six make us smile. We have three grandchildren. They are our delight. Everything people say about how awesome it is to have grandchildren is true. But we wouldn’t be living the life we live, except for saying yes to the help.

I spent 10 years teaching speech communication in public schools and over 25 years as a consultant at the University of Illinois. My background in communication, is one of the reasons I love to help couples better communicate with each other.

I have been a counselor for over 25 years and have been in private practice since 2007. You see, I used to be a middle school counselor. My focus was on kids. I loved it.

But after years of putting bandaids on them and sending them home to very difficult circumstances. After years of hearing them cry because mom and dad were fighting or they were divorced and the children’s spirits were getting crushed by custody battles and being forced to be in the middle. 

After years of seeing the pain on kid’s faces, I committed to myself that I would best help children through helping moms and dads and future moms and dads to have great marriages.

Being a marriage counselor is tough work. It is complicated work. It is not for everyone. Many counselors are generalists. It is not their focus. I decided to focus my training and experience on helping couples so I could get really, really good at it.

I serve people in person throughout a 90 mile radius of Champaign, Illinois. Including Urbana, Savoy, Mahomet, Tolono, Saint Joseph, and Rantoul. And now with online counseling, I see couples throughout the entire state of Illinois.

If you are ready to say yes to the help, you can scroll down to my online scheduler and set up an appointment.