Who I am…

Hi, I'm Madison

I’m an art therapist by day, and by night I’m an artist and mom.

Creativity and healing have been central to my life for many years, both personally and professionally. I know firsthand how meaningful and challenging this work can be, and how powerful it is to have support along the way

ARTIST BEFORE THERAPIST

ARTIST BEFORE THERAPIST

I received my BFA in Studio Art with a two-dimensional and graphic design cross-concentration in 2020, where I explored the intersections of creative process, art, and identity. It was after my undergraduate studies that I felt called to pursue the field of art therapy.

In graduate school, I worked across a wide range of artistic mediums, including sculpture, fibers, bookmaking, digital photography, digital collage, and mixed media. These experiences continue to inform my flexible, process-oriented approach to therapy. I received my MA in Art Therapy, which furthered my exploration of using the creative process as a way to facilitate self-expression, identity development, and healing.

I have been a licensed therapist since 2023 and have supported individuals across many life experiences and identities.

Graduate Work

Areas of specialty

  • Neurodiversity Support – ADHD, autism, learning differences, and intellectual disabilities

  • Anxiety, Stress & Emotional Regulation – managing overwhelm, big feelings, and daily pressures

  • Trauma & Recovery – PTSD, trauma history, and brain injury (TBI) support

  • School & Learning Challenges – academic struggles, school stress, and education support

  • Relationships & Social Skills – peer relationships, family conflict, and communication

  • Life Transitions & Identity – change, growth, self-esteem, and major life shifts

Let's connect

I primarily work with kiddos (8+), teens, and young adults who have difficulty regulating, expressing, or understanding their emotions.

I also support individuals who feel stuck or burned out in life, relationships, or work. This is often connected to perfectionism, PDA, ADHD burnout, PMDD, or major life transitions.

Many of the people I work with include:

  • Newly diagnosed neurodivergent individuals

  • Queer and LGBTQ+ folks

  • Individuals living with chronic illness

  • People recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI)

If you or your teen are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, emotionally shut down, or struggling to put words to what’s happening inside, you’re not alone and you don’t have to figure it out by yourself.

My Approach

I practice from an “art as therapy” approach, meaning we use creative expression, not artistic skill, as a tool for emotional exploration, regulation, and self-understanding.

Sessions are: Collaborative and flexible, Engaging and developmentally appropriate, Grounded in curiosity, humor, and authenticity

Therapy does not have to feel clinical to be meaningful. It can be creative, approachable, and even fun. Together, we will work to build coping skills, strengthen self-expression, and support confidence in navigating everyday life.

Explore examples below

Puddle Painting

Puddle Painting
Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye
Chance Poetry

Chance Poetry

Professional Credentials and Education

Madison Harlow (she/her)

Credentials:

MD Licensed Graduate Professional Art Therapist (ATC422)

Education:

Master of Arts (MA): Art Therapy,

Notre Dame of Maryland University (2023)

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Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): Studio Art: Two-dimensional and graphic design cross concentration,

Messiah College (2020)

Read more

Thesis

“I Feel Upset”: A Case Study of Destruction in Art Therapy with Resilient Youth

In this thesis project, undertaken as case study of a group session in a Type III school, I observed the effects of attachment and trauma on kinesthetic/sensory based destruction of art through the intervention Create, Destroy, Transform. I aimed to explore how the use of destruction in artmaking, through the kinesthetic/sensory component of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC), could lead to self-regulating habits and behaviors in adolescents in a Type III school setting. Youth served in these settings have a 90% rate of trauma exposure (Papovich, 2019). Due to this trauma exposure, maladaptive behaviors have become prevalent, leading to the need for supported self-regulation and inspired my use of this intervention. This single-session case study took place at my second graduate art therapy internship placement, a Type III school, with an elementary school class consisting of two female and five male students. In the group session, I used a planned destruction art therapy intervention called Create, Destroy, Transform, inspired by ETC-based readings from Hinz (2020) and Lusebrink (2010). Through this intervention, students engaged in a process of creating artwork, destroying it, and transforming the destructed piece into a new piece. The results of this study addressed the idea of remedying or mediating emotional and behavioral dysregulation through specific media use correlated with targeted ETC levels. Through the intentional use of emergent and therapeutic functions of the kinesthetic/sensory level, I anticipated to encourage the students to engage in techniques of self-soothing behaviors and coping skills.