Vicki Marcum , LCSW

Vicki Marcum is a licensed clinical social worker with four decades of clinical experience. She brings a calm, client-centered energy to sessions and focuses on practical steps people can use to feel steadier. Vicki often works with women facing stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, parenting strains, relationship and intimacy concerns, and struggles with self-esteem and body image.

Her approach begins with listening and building trust. Once a strong connection is in place, she adapts methods to the issue at hand and the client's personality. She leans on attachment-based ideas to understand relationship patterns and uses cognitive behavioral tools to address unhelpful thoughts and behaviors.

Vicki has worked across many settings including inpatient psychiatry, outpatient community mental health, crisis intervention, schools, emergency rooms, and social service agencies. That wide experience informs practical, down-to-earth care for people navigating big life changes, bipolar disorder, or long-term mental health challenges.

Sessions are offered in English and she practices from Illinois as an LCSW. She supports people dealing with grief, anger, caregiving strain and compassion fatigue, as well as concerns tied to adoption, family of origin, blended families, and domestic violence. Vicki also helps clients facing career stress and major transitions.

Her style is warm and supportive but frank when needed. She guides people to weigh options and find what works for them. The goal is clearer thinking, better coping skills, and more manageable day-to-day life.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Attachment-based work focuses on how early and current relationships shape feelings and reactions. In therapy this helps people who struggle with trust, abandonment fears, or repeating relationship patterns to notice what they do and try new ways of relating.

Client-centered therapy centers the client's experience and pace. The therapist listens closely, reflects what is heard, and follows the client's lead while offering support and acceptance for whatever comes up.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and teaches concrete skills for shifting unhelpful thinking and building coping strategies for anxiety, depression, and stress.

Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and practical needs and then adapt methods so they make sense for the person. This collaborative process helps tailor sessions to real-life concerns and comfort levels.

Online therapy offers flexibility through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video sessions allow face-to-face interaction for deeper work, while phone calls can be easier when bandwidth is limited. Live chat and messaging support brief check-ins, quick coping reminders, and ongoing communication between sessions. These options make it simpler to fit therapy into a busy life and to use the format that best supports progress.