Holistic Jungian therapist specializing in trauma and relationships
Hello!
Welcome to our BetterHelp Community and congratulations in taking that courageous first step in feeling better! My name is Marikay Gazda and I have been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 1991. Through these many years I have provided counseling to those experiencing feelings of generalized anxiety, depressed thoughts, feelings of isolation, chronic or life threatening medical conditions, end of life issues, caregiver stress and fatigue and general life transitions. As a Certified Grief Counselor I have worked with individuals struggling in their feelings of grief and loss who feel stuck in moving on. But I have also found that those physical and psychological responses felt in grief is not unique to a death, as loss can be found across the board in relationships, health, a job or simply an empty nest. Those feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression and physical symptoms can certainly be generalized to any type of loss as it impacts an individual’s ability to engage in a full and happy life.
My demeanor is warm, compassionate, interactive and positive. I consider the client/therapist relationship to be the most important element to a successful therapy experience. As a clinician, my approach is client centered, goal oriented and grounded in a strengths perspective. I use the models of Emotional Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Solution Focused Brief Therapy in helping my clients understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and behavior and creating goals to effect a change. In my work with grief and loss the Duel Process Model teaches a client to regularly “take breaks” from their feelings of loss while the Continuing Bonds Model works towards creating new meaning and a new relationship within the loss.
My goal as a therapist is to partner with you in an empathetic and safe space and that each interaction leaves you hopeful that change can occur. I wish you all the peace that your day can bring knowing that you have taken that first step in feeling better.
Licensed · Professional · Cancel Anytime
Marikay Gazda is a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois who has been practicing since 1991 and brings 35 years of clinical experience to her work. She has extensive experience helping people manage generalized anxiety, depressive symptoms, feelings of isolation, caregiver stress and fatigue, chronic or life-threatening medical issues, end-of-life concerns, and transitions across the lifespan.
As a Certified Grief Counselor, Marikay supports individuals who feel stuck in their grief and loss. She recognizes that grief reactions are not limited to bereavement – loss can occur in relationships, health, employment, or the shift to an empty nest – and that the resulting sadness, anxiety, low mood, and physical symptoms can affect a person’s ability to engage fully in life.
Her therapeutic style is warm, compassionate, interactive, and positive. Marikay places great importance on the client-therapist relationship as the foundation for effective work and uses a client-centered, goal-oriented approach grounded in a strengths perspective. She integrates Emotionally Focused Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy to help clients understand how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors interact and to create practical goals for change.
In grief work she draws on evidence-informed frameworks such as the Dual Process Model, which encourages clients to alternate between confronting and taking breaks from grief, and the Continuing Bonds Model, which helps people create new meaning and relationships with their loss. Marikay aims to partner with clients in an empathetic and safe space so that each session leaves them feeling more hopeful about the possibility of change.
Online therapy can be an effective option for many common concerns, including stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, and navigating life changes. For these types of issues, remote sessions have been shown to offer outcomes comparable to traditional in-person care.
One major benefit is flexibility – people can connect with a therapist in the format that fits their needs, whether that is a video appointment, a phone call, live chat, or in-app messaging. This flexibility makes it easier to fit consistent care into a busy schedule.
Each participating clinician is a licensed professional, and individuals may choose to change therapists if they want a different fit. For many, online therapy provides a convenient, accessible way to pursue meaningful therapeutic work and address everyday mental health concerns.
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