Marilyn Verbiscer, LMFT

Marilyn Verbiscer is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with 24 years of clinical experience helping individuals, couples, and families navigate relationship strains, grief, mood concerns, parenting challenges, and life transitions. She works with a wide range of issues including infidelity recovery, communication and conflict management, premarital counseling, sexual concerns, divorce and separation, anxiety and depression, anger, sleep problems, self-esteem struggles, and blended family dynamics. Her approach emphasizes practical strategies and collaborative planning to support clients in making meaningful changes.

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Science in Child Development and Family Studies from Purdue University. Her professional credentials include LMFT - Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist; Clinical Fellow of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT); AAMFT Approved Supervisor, indicating she provides clinical supervision; Certified Gottman Seven Principles Leader, reflecting training in the Gottman Method for couples; and Board Certified TeleMental Health Professional (BC-TMH), indicating specialized training in delivering therapy remotely. Marilyn has published and presented on infidelity, tele-mental health, clinical supervision, tele-supervision, and clinical documentation, and she has taught psychology courses at Purdue University and Illinois Institute of Technology.

Marilyn typically prefers weekly live video sessions, which she finds help therapy progress more quickly; those sessions are usually 30 to 45 minutes in length. She checks messages Monday through Friday during standard business hours and aims to respond within 24 hours on weekdays. Most current appointment availability is Monday through Thursday between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM Central, with evening appointments currently full. Marilyn prefers to arrange appointments directly with clients rather than through an external calendar and looks forward to supporting people seeking change.

Therapeutic Approaches and Online Care

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and learn to act in ways that match their values - it is useful for anxiety, stress, and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and shifting patterns of thinking and behavior that contribute to depression, anxiety, and sleep problems, offering concrete tools to reduce symptoms and improve daily functioning. The Gottman Method provides structured strategies for couples to improve communication, rebuild trust after infidelity, and strengthen intimacy through clear exercises and skills training.

Choosing the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Marilyn collaborates with clients to determine which methods best fit their needs, goals, and preferences. That collaborative process may blend techniques from different models so clients receive an individualized plan rather than a one-size-fits-all prescription.

Online therapy through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging provides flexibility for people managing work, parenting, or mobility constraints. These options make it easier to maintain consistent appointments, access care from home, and use the mode of communication that feels most comfortable, while still working with licensed professionals and therapists to move toward meaningful change.