Marilyn Traynor

Marilyn Traynor is a licensed clinical social worker with 40 years of practice in Illinois. She helps people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, grief, and big life transitions. Her work focuses on clear support and steady listening rather than quick fixes.

She offers counseling aimed at adults who want to understand their feelings and find ways to move forward. Marilyn pays attention to issues that often come up in midlife and later years, such as caregiver stress, aging concerns, and coping with chronic health challenges. Her style is calm and patient, and she encourages people to pace the work in a way that fits their lives.

Sessions cover a wide range of everyday problems - workplace stress, relationship tensions, self-esteem, and trauma recovery. Marilyn helps clients build practical coping skills and stronger emotional resources. She emphasizes small, doable steps that add up over time.

Her practice also addresses addiction, parenting stresses, and compassion fatigue for those in caring roles. People receive individualized care that reflects their own history and needs. Marilyn aims to help people reconnect to purpose and regain a sense of control.

With a long history in counseling, she blends several approaches to match each person. The work is collaborative: clients set goals and Marilyn offers tools and perspective to reach them. To begin, clients are guided through a straightforward intake and planning process.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people notice their thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It can help with anxiety, depression, and coping during illness or major life changes by encouraging meaningful steps even when feelings are difficult.

Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships affect current patterns. It helps people understand trust, closeness, and communication problems and can be useful for relationship tensions and intimacy-related struggles.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Marilyn will collaborate with each person to identify which methods fit their goals, needs, and comfort level. That plan can shift as progress is made, so people stay involved in decisions about their care.

Online therapy can make it easier to keep regular sessions during busy or unpredictable times. It can reduce travel, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and help fit work or caregiving schedules around appointments. Because session formats are not specified in the profile, confirm the exact online options before booking. The focus is on practical ways to make therapy fit into everyday life while using methods that address grief, anxiety, caregiver stress, and other concerns.