Madeleine Olson, LMFT
How I Work
This work can be challenging and vulnerable, and I hold it as the highest privilege to be engaged in this deeply personal work together. As your therapist, I bring warmth, curiosity, attunement, a healthy dose of challenge, and sprinkles of humor. In my work, I do not subscribe to or engage in surface-level "fixes." This is your life, what could be more important?
So how do we get there?
Each person or couple is different, and this uniqueness needs to shape the space we create for our work. Generally, I work from a relational psychoanalytic lens, integrating elements of trauma-informed care, mindfulness, and emotion-focused techniques when clinically called for.
How does that translate in non-therapy terms? Perhaps you've always felt something in your relationships or life is just out of reach, but you can't quite put words to it. In our work, I will help you find the words, discover the understanding, and together we will find the meaning. Through careful tracing of unconscious lines and exploration of past foundational relationships and experiences, I will help you spot patterns, challenge coping strategies that no longer serve you, and practice new ways of relating to yourself and others.
As we bring previously hidden aspects of your inner world into awareness, new possibilities for freedom and change become available. This is how we work deeply, from the inside out, creating lasting transformation. Together, with our lived experiences and my clinical expertise, we will make meaning of life's challenges and deepen the growth of the most authentic, resilient, and creative core of yourself.
Education & Training
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#160637) in the state of California. I earned my master's degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University. I completed my clinical training towards licensure at The Center for Professional Counseling and The Maple Counseling Center, both in Los Angeles, California. There, I received extensive psychodynamic training to work with teens, adults, and couples with a variety of mental health concerns such as complex trauma, anxiety, depression, life transitions, relationships, and identity. Additionally, I trained and volunteered at Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center, where I worked on the national crisis hotline for several years, building my strong foundation in crisis work. Most recently, I completed the yearlong foundations course at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. Additionally, I regularly take classes at LAISPS (Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies).
Prior to my career in clinical psychology, I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College with a double major in French Studies and Art History. I have over a decade of prior experience in the non-profit, museum, education, and entertainment sectors.
