Madison Dale LPC

Growing up, I felt immensely alone and struggled to find my place within the world and amongst my peers. I struggled with feelings of isolation, shut down and often thought about dying. I was keenly aware of the injustices in the world and as I graduated high school, I knew that in order to feel okay in my life going forward, I wanted to be a part of work that created better circumstances for people to live. After many of my peers were impacted by opioid dependence, I decided to get my undergrad in Human Services with the hopes of becoming an addiction counselor. I quickly learned that addiction is a bi-product of much more, and wished to expand my reach to working with all people who experience harm at the hands of oppressive and dominating systems.

Oftentimes people enter into therapy looking for answers as to how to end their suffering. We live in a society that moves quickly and promotes ideals of being "good," "better" and "the best." I view success in therapy as gaining the ability to move through life's many challenges. This doesn't mean you will leave each session, or the therapeutic relationship as a whole feeling "happy" necessarily. But it does mean that you will be able to embrace the complexities of life and still find moments of joy.

I work from modalities and techniques that are rooted in story telling, parts work (think the movie Inside Out - we all have different parts of us that show up to take care of different challenges), body based awareness (Somatic), movement and breath (Breathwork), and universal human experiences (Existential). I aim to always meet you where you are. I will be with you as you gain clarity around your own wisdom and knowing; and I will always sit with you through discomfort, dis-ease, celebration and joy.

• Colorado, Licensed Professional Counselor, 0017139

I have done paid and unpaid work in community based programming and non profits since I was 18. I began working with young people through programming at the YMCA and from there worked within the public school system in an alternative education program. After undergrad, I began working in community mental health at a drop in center for young people. I then worked with young people in an alternatives to detention program. During graduate school, I interned at a non profit that worked with survivors of intimate partner violence. I then began my clinical work, again in community mental health with transition age young people. I am so grateful for the people I have worked with and met along the way - they taught me so much. All of these experiences helped me to understand how the systems that are in place to provide care to powerful communities targeted for oppression, often times just lead to more oppression and harm. After getting my license, I chose to move away from working within nonprofits and have had my own practice since.