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MM Portrait of Murray Manus

Murray Manus

Strengths-focused trauma and relationship clinician

About Murray

Murray Manus is an LCSW practicing in Illinois who draws on nearly a decade of clinical experience and a humanistic, strengths-based perspective. He emphasizes supportive, encouraging work that centers what is healthy and resilient in each person rather than focusing solely on symptoms.

Background and approach

His approach blends client-centered principles with attachment-focused and emotionally oriented techniques to help clients reconnect with their core sense of self. Murray has a particular focus on the long-term effects of childhood trauma, including abuse and neglect, and brings personal insight into the challenges that can follow these experiences.

He aims to help clients uncover needs, wants, and desires that were suppressed for survival, and to address issues such as shame, guilt, loneliness, and struggles with identity and relationships. He also addresses concerns related to aging, end-of-life counseling, gender dysphoria, and midlife transitions using compassionate, practical guidance.

Sessions are informed by mindfulness and existential ideas to support meaning-making and present-moment awareness while using motivational and attachment-based strategies to strengthen emotional connection and decision-making. Murray works with clients in English and accepts international clients, offering a collaborative space to explore healing and change.

Online approaches that support attachment and emotional healing



Attachment-Based Therapy focuses on patterns of connection that formed in early relationships and helps people understand how those patterns affect current emotions and interactions. It can be useful for those coping with attachment issues, abandonment, and relationship struggles. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) centers on identifying and working with core emotions to shift negative interaction cycles and strengthen emotional bonds; it is often applied to deepen emotional understanding and reduce isolation. Mindfulness Therapy encourages present-moment awareness and nonjudgmental attention to thoughts and feelings, which can help manage shame, anxiety, and the lingering impact of trauma.

Finding the most effective approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work together with clients to clarify goals, preferences, and needs, then tailor methods accordingly rather than applying a single technique. This collaborative stance helps ensure the treatment fits each person’s circumstances and values.

Online therapy with Murray is offered through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to increase flexibility and access. These formats allow scheduling that fits daily life, easier participation from different locations, and continuity of care when in-person sessions are not possible. Licensed professionals can adapt these methods to support emotional healing and practical problem solving across a range of concerns.

Frequently asked questions

What issues does Murray commonly address in therapy?
He focuses on trauma and abuse, relationship concerns, and self-esteem, and also works with related areas such as abandonment, attachment issues, communication problems, guilt and shame, and hospice and end-of-life counseling.
What therapeutic style can I expect during sessions?
The work is client-centered and strengths-based with an emphasis on attachment and emotionally-focused methods; sessions are supportive and aim to help clients reconnect with their core sense of self.
How long has he been practicing clinically?
Murray has nine years of formal clinical experience as a licensed social worker applied in therapeutic settings.
Where is Murray licensed and based?
He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois with license number IL LCSW 149.014783 and practices from that state.
Can I work with him if I live outside the United States?
He accepts international clients and conducts therapy in English to accommodate people living in other countries.
Which session formats are available for meetings?
Sessions are offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to provide flexible ways to connect.
How are fees and subscriptions handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
What steps are required to begin working together?
To get started, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.