Book a therapist or psychiatrist in Matthews, NC covered by Cigna

My heart behind this work is simple; I want to support the emotional well-being of people in our community. My practice is here to offer compassionate, accessible, and high-quality mental health care for individuals and families. I’m passionate about helping people understand themselves better, learn new tools, and feel supported along the way.

I’ve been practicing therapy for 25 years, which has included 12 years in NC and prior practice in both Kansas and New Mexico. I’ve worked in community mental health most of my career so I’ve had the opportunity to serve all ages and provide treatment for a huge variety of mental health concerns. I’m pretty down to Earth, open, honest, and genuine. I can be direct when needed to help bring awareness or light to a potential problem area while at the same time me providing support and encouragement. I enjoy hearing people’s life stories and helping individuals navigate their way through difficult life situations and problematic symptoms. No judgment, just a person available to help you find what you need.

Partner 1: “I reach for you, but it feels like you’re already gone.” I’m left wondering if I matter to you at all.” Partner 2: “When you come close, I feel the pressure to be perfect, so I pull back to protect us both.” These unspoken messages leave couples lonely and stuck. I help break this anxious–avoidant cycle so partners feel safe, seen, and deeply connected again.

“I don’t understand why I want closeness so badly, yet feel disappointed when I have it. Why do I feel lonelier than others, even when I’m not alone?” Or: “I care deeply, but people say I’m distant or hard to read. When emotions get intense, I shut down—not because I don’t feel, but because it feels like too much.”

These quiet tensions live beneath awareness for many people. Longing and self-protection pull in opposite directions. Needs feel confusing, emotions feel overwhelming or unsafe, and core beliefs quietly form—I’m too much, I’m not enough, connection costs me something.

I help people loosen these patterns, reconcile the Self with more truthful and adaptive beliefs, and move toward self-acceptance and interdependence—where connection no longer threatens safety, but deepens it.

After nine years serving in the U.S. Coast Guard, I realized my deepest fulfillment came not from fixing systems, but from walking with people. Leaving the military was not a departure from service—it was a continuation of it. I pursued social work and theological training to better support people in their most important relationships. Today, my practice is devoted to couples counseling and trauma-informed care. Drawing primarily from Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and EMDR, I help couples slow conflict, understand what drives disconnection, and emotional safety. As a veteran and seminary-trained therapist, I bring structure, compassion, and steady hope—meeting clients with respect, grace, and a belief in lasting change.

I see counseling as a walk between two people, a time to discuss the ups and downs of life. I am person centered; solution focused and draw from a wide range of CBT mindfulness and Accelerated Resolution Therapy techniques that will help my clients find their own unique path in life.

Hi, I'm Christian, a Licensed Clinician Social Worker, eldest daughter, and proud first-gen Latina.

Hey hey! My name is Madison and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate in the State of NC. I received my Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from UNC - Greensboro and my Master in Social Work from North Carolina Central University. I have a passion to work with adolescents and young adults, who aspire to be seen, heard, and ready to do the work towards a better self. As a previous teenager and as a young adult, I empathize with so many lived experiences that take place during these stages of development.