Madeline Vann, LPC

Madeline Vann, known as Maddie, is a licensed professional counsellor and certified substance abuse counsellor at Therapy Owls in Williamsburg, Virginia. She specialises in service members, veterans and first responders, and her work includes trauma therapy, recovery from substance use, sex therapy and psychedelic preparation and integration.

Approach

Vann is EMDR-certified and trained in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and works from an existential, ACT-based angle aimed at psychological flexibility, meaning and a sense of control. She uses expressive arts, nature-based approaches and a generational view of the strengths clients inherit, and is a registered yoga teacher training as a yoga therapist. She offers no medicine, ceremonies or rituals: for a planned psychedelic experience she prepares clients with psychoeducation, mindfulness and bodywork, and afterwards supports integration with ACT, expressive arts and trauma or grief techniques. Her sex therapy follows a systemic model.

Who it is for

Her focus is adults aged 25 and over from military and first responder backgrounds dealing with grief, trauma, moral injury, nightmares, anger, substance use or transitions such as retirement, and couples and families under the strain of those careers. She is familiar with security clearance concerns, sees children and teenagers only within family therapy, and calls herself an ally of the LGBTQ+ community.

Practical details

She works in person and by telehealth from Tuesday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm. At Therapy Owls, licensed therapists charge self-paying clients $150 to $175 for 50 minutes on a sliding scale, with a $250 intake, and most accept insurance, including Tricare out of network and the VA Community Care Network. The first consultation is free.

Care and safety

Before a psychedelic experience she assesses for conditions such as PTSD and can recommend other therapists or programmes. She holds Virginia licences as an LPC (0701011643) and CSAC (0710103640).