Marilyn Traynor, LCSW
Illinois · 40 years in practice
Marilyn Traynor is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 40 years of practice in Illinois.
License and registration
- LCSW, Illinois
- 149006091 · expires November 2027
- NPI
- 1700546918 · national provider identifier
- Years in practice
- 40
- Languages
- English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check the license with the issuing state board, and the NPI with the national registry.
About Marilyn
Marilyn Traynor is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 40 years of practice in Illinois. She focuses on helping adults handle depression, anxiety, grief, and major life changes. Her work emphasizes clear, practical steps that people can use between sessions.
She centers sessions on listening and understanding each person's story. Marilyn uses emotion-focused methods to help people name their feelings and see how those feelings shape choices. She also draws on cognitive behavioral and client-centered approaches to address unhelpful thinking and build practical skills.
Background and approach
Many people consult her about stress at work, relationship struggles, and caregiver strain. Marilyn often supports those navigating chronic illness, aging concerns, or significant transitions. She also addresses addiction, anger, and issues tied to attachment and abandonment.
Her style is calm and direct. Sessions aim to clarify what matters to the client and to set small, achievable steps. Marilyn helps people try new patterns and notice what changes in real life.
Over four decades she has worked with a broad range of emotional challenges and life stages. She welcomes conversations about goals and preferences and adapts methods to fit each person. Practical tools and steady support are central to her approach.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Marilyn lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Grief
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Intimacy-related issues
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Approaches Marilyn names
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How her approaches translate to online therapy
Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) in Marilyn's work helps people identify and express core feelings that drive relationship and personal patterns. It is useful for understanding why certain reactions keep repeating and for shifting how someone connects with their own emotions.Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is used to help clients notice unhelpful thoughts and focus on values-based action. This approach supports coping with anxiety, depression, and life changes by teaching simple exercises and behavioral steps.
Attachment-Based Therapy informs how Marilyn looks at early patterns that affect current relationships and self-worth. It helps people recognize attachment needs and try new ways of relating to others and themselves.
Finding the right approach is part of the work. Marilyn will talk with each person about their needs, goals, and preferences and together decide which methods to emphasize. That collaborative planning helps shape sessions so they feel relevant and doable.
Online therapy offers practical flexibility. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or for shorter check-ins. Live chat and text-based messaging are useful for people who prefer writing, need brief support between sessions, or want more flexible scheduling. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life while using the same therapeutic approaches.
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Questions people ask
What concerns does Marilyn address?
She works with depression, anxiety, grief, stress, addictions, relationship and family problems, trauma and many life changes.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Her sessions are listening-focused and practical, using emotion-focused work alongside cognitive and client-centered techniques to help people make changes.
What is her professional background?
Marilyn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with forty years of clinical experience supporting adults through emotional and life transitions.
Where is she licensed and practicing?
She holds an Illinois LCSW and practices from that state while offering services to clients in other locations as appropriate.
Which languages are supported in sessions?
Sessions are offered in English and Marilyn also accepts international clients for remote work.
What session formats are available?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging depending on client preference.
How is cost handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a session according to therapist availability.
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