Marikay Gazda, LCSW

Marikay Gazda is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with 35 years of experience. She helps people facing anxiety, depression, grief, and the practical strains of caregiving and aging. Her style is calm and direct, aimed at making small changes that help day-to-day life feel more manageable.

She works with people dealing with chronic illness, chronic pain, and the emotional toll of serious health conditions. Sessions often focus on coping skills, improving communication, and easing isolation. Marikay also supports those wrestling with guilt, shame, and the search for life purpose.

Her practice combines a person-centered outlook with tools from cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused work. That means she listens first, then helps clients try realistic steps to change thinking and behavior. Emotionally-focused and psychodynamic ideas help when patterns from the past show up in current relationships and feelings.

Marikay emphasizes self-love and practical strategies. She helps people rebuild routines, set boundaries, and make caregiving less overwhelming. For those nearing end-of-life or supporting someone who is, she offers experience with hospice and bereavement concerns.

If someone wants to begin, they can expect a straightforward intake to identify goals and immediate needs. She aims to make therapy useful and relevant, with attention to each person's values and everyday constraints.

How her therapeutic approaches translate to online work

Client-centered therapy focuses on the client's own goals and values, with the therapist offering empathic listening and gentle guidance to help people make meaningful changes. It is useful for grief, isolation, and figuring out priorities. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) looks at how thoughts affect feelings and actions and teaches practical skills to shift unhelpful patterns; this approach can help with anxiety, panic, and depression. Emotionally-focused therapy (EFT) attends to emotional bonds and patterns in relationships, helping people identify and change reactions that cause pain.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, try out methods, and adjust the plan based on what works. Clients are involved in choosing techniques and pacing so methods suit their needs and preferences.

Confirm current session options before booking since formats are not listed in the biography. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life by removing travel time, allowing brief check-ins, and offering flexibility around work or caregiving schedules. It also lets people meet with a licensed professional from their community when in-person visits are difficult, while still focusing on the same practical skills and emotional work used in traditional therapy.