Patricia Prendergast, LCSW

Patricia Prendergast is an LCSW who offers calm, practical support to people feeling overwhelmed by life changes. She focuses on clear steps a person can take right away. Her style is warm and direct, aimed at reducing stress and restoring a sense of control.

She has 28 years of experience working with addiction, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting concerns, and mood disorders. Patricia also helps with relationship difficulties, anger, low self-esteem, career concerns, and eating problems. She brings sustained experience to issues related to abandonment, attachment concerns, and post-traumatic stress.

In sessions she uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment-Based approaches, and a client-centered style to guide conversations. She also draws on motivational interviewing and narrative techniques when useful. These methods help identify unhelpful thinking, strengthen coping skills, and make sense of difficult experiences.

Patricia works with people who need both short-term support and longer-term care. She talks through practical coping strategies, goal setting, and ways to manage cravings, intrusive memories, or strong emotions. She also supports parents handling caregiver stress and relationships strained by life events.

Based in Illinois, she brings decades of front-line social work experience to each session. Patricia aims to create an approachable space where a person can name their priorities and start taking manageable steps toward change.

Approaches that translate to online care

Patricia commonly uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy in her online work. CBT focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and trying different behaviors to reduce symptoms like anxiety, depression, or compulsive habits. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at how early relationships shape current patterns and helps people build more secure ways of relating.

She also practices a client-centered approach that privileges the person’s goals and pace. Choosing the right approach is collaborative - the therapist and client will talk about needs, goals, and what feels most useful, then adjust the plan together over time.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to accommodate different situations. Video is useful for full sessions and reading nonverbal cues. Phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed. Live chat and messaging let people check in between sessions or use brief coaching and reflection in written form. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, and other daily routines.