about us

Healing Hearts Family Counseling Center was established in 2010 by Pat Ann St Germain, who identified a significant gap in the availability of skilled therapists specializing in attachment and adoption issues. She observed that well-intentioned therapists were struggling to help children and adults with foster care backgrounds, adoption experiences, or challenging family relationships using conventional methods. Pat recognized that while traditional therapy had solid research backing, its lack of effectiveness in these cases suggested that the issue lay not with the clients, but with the approach itself. She believed that therapy needed to evolve to better meet these individuals’ unique needs.

She also observed that conventional parenting strategies were ineffective, as they placed complete reliance on parents, which hindered the development of a child’s sense of self and their frontal lobe. Additionally, most treatments tended to be accommodating, which often led to increased anxiety rather than alleviating it.

Through careful observation and chance encounters, she noticed many individuals with attachment issues showed significant improvement when sensory work was incorporated into their therapy. To gain a deeper understanding of how the sensory system influenced attachment and therapeutic progress, she studied the methods used by pediatric occupational therapists. She then integrated these insights into Healing Hearts, incorporating sensory work into therapy sessions and screening both children and adults for underlying sensory issues that affected their treatment. This approach led to a better understanding of individual and family challenges, accelerated therapy outcomes, and enhanced parenting confidence. Consequently, both the Sun Prairie and Delafield clinics now offer sensory options, including sensory rooms equipped with swings, climbing structures, lofts, and movement tools for therapeutic use.

As Pat Ann observed continued progress, parents began reaching out after treatment, reporting difficulties with attachment. Upon further investigation, it became clear that while attachment was not the issue, executive functioning—critical for independent living—was impaired. Executive functioning encompasses skills such as memory, flexibility, self-control, following directions, and managing emotions. When Pat Ann consulted local psychiatrists, they advised continuing to work with the individuals, as they lacked resources to address executive functioning beyond offering coping strategies and structure. Although these strategies provided some support, they were difficult to sustain and did not effect lasting change in the brain.

To address these challenges, Pat Ann introduced EEG Neurofeedback to help with emotional regulation, trauma, and executive functioning issues, and Interactive Metronome to promote lasting changes in the frontal lobe. Both methods are well-researched for their effectiveness in improving ADHD symptoms, handling transitions, emotional regulation, sleep, and overall brain function. As a result, the clinic saw significant improvements in emotional regulation and executive functioning, leading to reduced medication needs, possible discharge from IEPs, and fewer work absences for parents due to school-related issues.

We have also introduced Safe and Sound Therapy and The Integrated Listening System to address sound sensitivities, emotional regulation challenges, and feelings of overwhelm. Additionally, we now screen for vision-related issues and collaborate closely with behavioral optometrists. We have found that many individuals seeking our help experience problems with visual coordination, leading to symptoms such as double vision, school refusal, refusal to complete homework after school, difficulty reading (where words appear to move), or dyslexia.

As word of our success spread, individuals began traveling an average of 90 minutes for weekly sessions. Consequently, we started seeing adults with disabilities, those struggling with partner and parental relationships, and others drawn to our innovative approach. In addition to our focus on adoption, attachment, and relational issues, we now attract individuals and families seeking help for Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, developmental delays, executive functioning challenges, emotional dysregulation, grief and loss, school-related difficulties, and sibling and relational issues.

We aim to transform the landscape of mental health by ensuring individuals receive accurate assessments, diagnoses, and tailored treatments to enhance their quality of life and alter their life paths. To further this mission, we expanded to Delafield in 2023 and launched a comprehensive internship program to elevate the expertise of emerging therapists entering the field.