Murray Manus, LCSW
About me
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Illinois and obtained my Masters Degree in Social Work from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2008.
I provide personal counseling/therapy based upon the principles of humanistic therapy and positive psychology.
A central tenet of this type of therapy is that the client possesses the inner resources necessary to successfully address his/her major life challenges. The focus is upon the client's strengths, not deficits. My role as therapist is to establish a supportive, safe environment which facilitates the client's ability to learn how to access these inner resources, to use them to surmount the difficult personal issues they face, and to create a more meaningful and fulfilling life based upon their own personal vision.
I was a victim of substantial emotional abuse and neglect throughout my childhood. One consequence of this type of experience is that you never feel comfortable being yourself – everything you do is oriented toward pleasing your caregivers to get their approval and avoid further abuse. This is something I have worked on extensively in my own therapy, so I can easily relate to people’s struggles to learn who they really are and identify their core self, and to construct a life for themselves that fully expresses their wants and desires.
I am not the "expert" to tells you what to do to make things better; you are the expert in deciding what you want your life to look like. In assisting people in this journey, I am quite experienced in helping them address significant challenges in life that can be so troublesome, such as getting one’s needs met, anger management, conflict resolution, developing effective communication skills, setting limits and boundaries, and establishing fulfilling interpersonal relationships.
In the therapy I offer, there is no advance agenda or script nor any specific goals. Each session flows organically from wherever the client wants to start. This type of therapy works best when the client is a self reflective and introspective person, comfortable with discussing his or her inner thoughts and beliefs, and who is in touch with feelings and emotions. It is not oriented to using cognitive or analytical skills in solving specific problems per se but focuses on your overall quality of life. If you have difficulty being spontaneous or introspective, or are looking for a structured, goal oriented approach to therapy, this would not be a good fit for you. I no longer take any men as clients but just women
Professional experience
Additional areas of focus: Stress, Anxiety, Family conflicts, Grief, Parenting issues, Anger management, Abandonment, Aging and geriatric issues, Attachment issues, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Emptiness, Family problems, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Self-love, Women's issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Focused Therapy
License information
IL LCSW 149.014783
Reviews
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Murray Manus. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
I find Murray to be very easy to talk to and have found my time with him to be helpful in making some positive changes in my life.
Written on Mar 24, 2023 after therapy with Murray for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, career difficulties, and coping with life changes
Murray is the first therapist that I feel hears me and offers actual advice rather than just listen but giving no feedback other than “how did that make you feel, and what will you do about that?”. If you’ve been in therapy you probably know what I’m talking about. I also feel no judgement at all from Murray whatever the topic! I’m very excited to have found him on BetterHelp!!
Written on Nov 05, 2022 after therapy with Murray for 2 weeks on issues concerning relationship issues
I am so thankful for finding Murray. He is kind, patient, thoughtful and extremely attentive. He goes above and beyond to send me articles about topics we discussed prior so I can read up on them and understand my scenarios better. I truly can’t thank Murray enough.
Written on Sep 06, 2022 after therapy with Murray for 4 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, and coping with life changes