Edith Moran

I'm Edie Moran, a licensed clinical social worker in Illinois with over a decade of experience in social work. As a transgender woman, I specialize in gender- and sexuality-affirming psychotherapy, and the people I work with are mostly trans and gender nonconforming folks who are navigating the particular weight of living in a world that doesn't always make room for who they are.

I came to this work through community mental health and, later, end-of-life care, two fields that shaped how I think about what people actually need from a therapist. Not theory. Not checklists. Someone who sees you clearly, holds what you bring with care, and helps you move through it. That's what I try to offer every person I work with.

I know that finding the right therapist is hard, and that the stakes feel higher when your identity itself has been pathologized or misunderstood by providers in the past. I don't approach your gender or sexuality as something to investigate or explain. I approach it as part of who you are and I'm here to work on whatever you actually want to work on.

My approach is warm, direct, and built around you as the expert on your own life. I use a blend of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotion-Focused Therapy, Strength-Based approaches, and Motivational Interviewing — and I draw on whichever of these fits where you are right now.

I work from an affirming, informed-consent framework. That means I don't require you to prove or justify your gender identity to me, and I don't impose a timeline on your process. If you need a letter of support for gender-affirming medical care — whether that's hormones, surgery, or another transition-related step — I provide those, and I do it in a way that centers your autonomy, not a gatekeeping checklist.

I also bring a background in palliative and hospice social work, which means I'm comfortable sitting with grief, uncertainty, and the hard questions that don't have easy answers. That experience informs how I work with clients navigating chronic illness, loss, and end-of-life concerns — including older LGBTQ+ adults, who I have a particular commitment to serving.

All sessions are via telehealth in Illinois, which means you can access care from wherever you feel most comfortable.

Different people come to therapy for different reasons, and what you take away will depend on what you're bringing in. For many of the people I work with, that includes: a clearer relationship with their own identity and sense of self; tools for managing anxiety, depression, or the effects of chronic stress; support through a specific transition, social, medical, or otherwise; help processing grief, trauma, or difficult relationships; and a space where they don't have to translate themselves or brace for a gender-related misstep.

My goal isn't to be the therapist who makes you feel managed. It's to be the one who helps you figure out what you actually want and feel genuinely capable of getting there.