Marilyn Medow, LCSW

Marilyn Medow is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 35 years of experience practicing in Illinois. She began her career working in domestic violence, child welfare, and crisis intervention and has built a long history helping people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, and family conflict.

Marilyn aims to create an open, nonjudgmental space where people can talk through hard feelings. She encourages small steps and practical changes that can make daily life feel more manageable. Her style is flexible and responds to what each person brings to the room.

Early work in crisis settings gave her extensive experience with trauma and safety-focused care. Over time she expanded the ways she helps people, integrating many evidence-based therapeutic techniques into her work. She uses this range of approaches to match what a person needs in the moment.

Marilyn often helps people facing chronic pain, illness, caregiver stress, and life transitions like divorce or midlife shifts. She also supports people dealing with attachment and abandonment, body image, money worries, guilt, and isolation. Her goal is to help people find new perspectives and practical steps toward change.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point and a master’s degree from Smith College. Marilyn welcomes international clients and works with English-speaking people who are ready to begin a process of healing and self-discovery.

How evidence-based methods work in online therapy

Marilyn uses a range of evidence-based therapeutic techniques tailored to each person. One common approach focuses on trauma-informed care, which helps people process past hurt in ways that reduce its impact on daily life and relationships. Another approach emphasizes practical coping skills and problem-solving to manage anxiety, stress, and the demands of caregiving or chronic illness.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will listen to symptoms, goals, and personal preferences, then try methods that fit the situation. Over time the approach can shift based on what helps most in regular sessions.

Confirm the available session formats before booking since the biography does not list them. Online therapy can make scheduling easier and help sessions fit into a workday, caregiving routine, or periods of limited mobility. It can allow shorter check-ins when time is tight or let people meet from different locations when travel is difficult. Licensed professionals can adapt exercises, worksheets, and conversation-based methods so progress continues even when in-person meetings are not possible.