Meet Madeleine Lawson, LMFT

It’s often the case that by the time people begin therapy, they have already attempted to resolve whatever problem they are experiencing… many times, in many different ways, sometimes for years or decades.

People describe feeling at odds with their emotions— like they are constantly fighting a losing battle for greater discipline, stabler relationships, consistent wellbeing, self-mastery, or perhaps for a calm, non-anxious mind.

The truth is that to create deep, lasting change, therapy must be not only comforting, but challenging as well. My clients have told me I have a knack for asking the questions they’ve avoided or simply never considered. One of my strengths is the ability to orient people gently and compassionately— but clearly— toward their blind spots. Or, perhaps, toward the terrain that has previously felt too treacherous to walk.

This works because once we’re there, I walk with you. There is no experience too heavy or too trivial, too strange or shameful— we sort through it all, make sense of what we find, and then carefully equip you to live into the fullness and joy that is meant for you.

I have seen again and again the transformative and healing power of depth work. Of permitting one’s truest self to surface and regain control. My work with clients offers individuals, couples, and families the opportunity to build valuable insight into themselves and the conditions that are currently sustaining their difficulties. But even more importantly, it puts into place the scaffolding people need to do things differently, to genuinely confront and move through the challenges separating them from their best lives and relationships.

I bring to this work four years of clinical experience, rigorous specialty training, and ongoing consultation with psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and marriage and family therapists. I also bring a lifetime of reading, writing, curiosity, and an innate desire to help people make sense of themselves.

I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia and earned my Master of Family Therapy degree from Mercer University in Atlanta, where I researched the use of sand-tray therapy and other experiential, psychodynamic approaches. Upon graduation, I was honored to receive Mercer’s faculty-chosen Outstanding MFT Student Award.

I look forward to meeting you and walking this path together.

Training and Modalities