Myrna Pledger

Myrna Pledger is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) based in Illinois with 21 years of experience. She trained as a community counselor and has spent much of her career helping people facing complex life stresses. Her background includes work with individuals and families affected by trauma, abuse, depression, anxiety, and relationship strain.

Early in her practice she worked with children showing difficult behaviors in school settings and came to see those behaviors in the context of family systems. She believes many unhelpful patterns are learned within close relationships or passed down across generations. She also pays attention to the effects of narcissistic behavior on people close to someone who displays those traits.

Myrna describes her approach as truth-based, educational, and kind. She combines cognitive behavioral ideas and rational-emotive techniques while tailoring conversations and plans to each person. Her faith informs her work and she identifies as Christian; she brings that perspective for clients who value it.

She has supported people through grief, substance concerns, parenting stress, career transitions, intimacy challenges, and compassion fatigue. Her practice includes trauma-focused therapy among other approaches, and she aims to help people develop clear steps they can use in daily life.

Myrna encourages people to take the first step toward change and says she will work to support and empower them through the process.

How her approaches translate to online therapy

Trauma-Focused Therapy aims to help people process and make sense of traumatic experiences so they can reduce their hold on everyday life; it often includes paced, practical steps to manage strong reactions. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) works on noticing thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them and choosing actions that match personal values, which can help with anxiety, avoidance, and life changes. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape expectations and patterns today and helps people build healthier ways of relating and feeling safer in close connections.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss goals, preferences, and what feels workable, then try methods that fit each person's needs. Decisions about focus and pacing are collaborative and can change as progress is made.

Confirm current session options before booking, since formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit appointments into busy days, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and reduce travel time. It can also support continuity of care during life transitions and help people practice coping skills in the settings where they live and work.