Madison Thacker, M.Ed.

Counselor at the East Nashville Office

Hi, I’m Madison. As a therapist, I believe it is my job to simply create the right conditions - for your healing, for greater connection in your relationships, and for fuller embodiment of who it is you want to be. What this means is that I believe you already have everything you need inside you. When we meet, you will find someone who already believes every part of you is good. I will work to help you get back in touch with who you already are so you can live more in line with your values, identity, and desires. Together, we’ll identify other members of your “team,” as I believe we all heal through community and relationships.

Clinical Experience

I have competency within interventions such as parts work, somatic awareness, and building nonviolent communication skills with my clients. My work is influenced by relational-cultural, feminist, trauma-informed, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) theories and modalities, though I will utilize a variety of evidence-based approaches to meet the specific needs of each client. I am trained in Brainspotting (Phase 1) and am happy to incorporate this modality into my work with you or provide it as an adjunct support as you continue to see your primary therapist.

In addition to my work as a therapist, I enjoy working and advocating with queer and LGBTQ+ people and have specific experience supporting this activism within religious fundamentalist contexts. I also work as a board-certified neurofeedback clinician and utilize my holistic understanding of the brain and body as a part of my therapeutic approach.

Clinical Specialties

While I enjoy working with a variety of concerns, you and I could be a great fit if: you would like to explore unhelpful messaging and harm from your family or community of origin (who you grew up with), you would like to learn how to find more ease within your relationships, or you struggle with perfectionism or people-pleasing and that nagging feeling that what you do is never “enough.” I particularly enjoy my work with queer, kinky, and non-monogamous/polyamorous people, couples, and polycules.

I am passionate about working with clients who have experienced or are experiencing systemic harm. Harmful systems come in all shapes and sizes, and may look small and interpersonal, such as within a harmful family or partnership dynamic, or larger and pervasive, such as the pain that is perpetuated by toxic religious systems, homophobia, genderism, or white supremacy.

Education

M.Ed., Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Vanderbilt University

B.A., Psychology, Pepperdine University

Brainspotting Phase 1 Trained

Board Certified Neurotherapist through the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance