About Marilyn
Marilyn Medow has practiced as a clinical social worker for 35 years. She is an LCSW licensed in Illinois and offers straightforward, steady support for people facing stress, anxiety, trauma, and low self-esteem. She encourages the first step toward help and meets people where they are in the moment.
Her early work focused on domestic violence response, child welfare, and crisis intervention. That gave her a deep background in trauma and safety, and she continued to build a broad set of skills across many approaches.
How Marilyn works
Over decades of practice she has used that experience to shape a flexible, person-centered style. Sessions are practical and rooted in real life. She helps people notice patterns, try different ways of relating, and practice new behaviors.
Marilyn aims to offer fresh angles on familiar problems so clients can move toward change that feels manageable. She often helps with separation and divorce concerns, caregiver stress, chronic illness or pain, body image, and money-related worries. She also addresses abandonment, attachment, guilt and shame, impulsivity, isolation, and questions about life purpose and midlife transitions.
Marilyn earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point and a master's degree from Smith College. She draws on decades of hands-on experience to guide each person toward clearer choices and realistic next steps.
What Marilyn works with
The areas below are the ones Marilyn selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Post-traumatic stress
- Self esteem
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 35 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
Evidence-based approaches and online care
Marilyn draws on established, evidence-based techniques to help people recover from trauma and manage anxiety. One common approach focuses on trauma-informed care that emphasizes safety, pacing, and skill-building to reduce the impact of past hurt. This approach helps with symptoms tied to abuse and crisis history by teaching practical coping strategies and ways to feel more in control.Another frequent emphasis is on stress and mood management through behavior-focused work. That involves identifying unhelpful thinking and routine patterns, experimenting with small behavioral changes, and building consistent habits to improve day-to-day functioning. These techniques are useful for anxiety, depression, and life transitions like separation or midlife shifts.
Finding the right approach is part of the therapy process. Marilyn works together with each person to pick techniques that match their goals, circumstances, and pace. She adjusts methods as progress and needs become clearer, so the plan evolves collaboratively.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit sessions into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when helpful, and remove the need to travel. They also let people choose the communication style that feels most comfortable while keeping continuity of care across locations.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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