I am originally from the surrounding Indianapolis, IN area and received both my Bachelors in Psychology and my Masters in Counseling from Indiana State University. I worked with adolescents in northern Indiana since 1996, and have one adult daughter, who is an artist, currently working in the tattoo industry. I moved to Naples, Fl in 2023.
Due to the massive increase in children, teens, and adults struggling with anxiety, I became a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional and currently specialize in OCD.
I specialize in helping clients achieve their personal goals by understanding these issues and moving forward, using new approaches that have proven to be more effective than older more traditional methods. I see clients who are new to anxiety treatment, as well as those who have not found that therapy has worked for them in the past.
Issues I commonly see are OCD, panic attacks, social anxiety disorder, general anxiety disorder, and agoraphobia. I have been trained in Exposure Response Prevention, which is the gold standard treatment for OCD, as well as ICBT, which is the other evidenced-based OCD treatment. I have also been trained in Com-B and Habit Reversal Training to treat Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors such as trichotillomania and excoriation, which are OCD-related behaviors. For trauma, I use Brainspotting, which is an effective trauma treatment, especially for somatic symptoms or trauma without conscious memories.
“Our life is what our thoughts make it”
Marcus Aurelius
My Therapeutic Approach
Anxiety and OCD
The old methods to "get rid of" anxiety don’t work, and many anxious clients have been to various counselors trying to "make it go away".
I use a more effective approach to instead change your relationship with anxiety and put you back in control. I use an integrated approach, combining IFS (Internal Family Systems) , CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), ICBT (Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) Brainspotting , and ERP (Exposure Response Prevention - the gold standard treatment for OCD) to change the way we think about our anxious thoughts and allow us to move through life in a different, more positive way. I help clients decrease the overwhelming power of their emotions, while increasing the power of their thinking. I am also trained in HRT (Habit Reversal Training and ComB) to treat Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors such as Trichotillomania and Excoriation.
The tools I give clients directly deal with the anxiety, and go further than traditional deep breathing, and thought-stopping or distraction techniques.
It involves "homework/practice" between sessions and so that when therapy is over, you are competent in your new ways of thinking. You can go as deep as you would like to go with your therapy.
Highly functional clients, who have undergone treatment, and do not need mental health counseling anymore may graduate to a Coaching Program if they still desire services.
Adolescents
I speak "teenager", as I spent most of my career working with adolescents. Many times, adolescents are seen in therapy because their parents want them to be "fixed" for some behavioral problem that is causing distress for the family.
However, for adolescents to "buy in" to therapy, my objective is collaborating with them to address their issues and goals, as well as to build trust. The behavior issues now being seen are after years of internal conflict that must be addressed in a safe and trusting environment.
Families must many times be involved in this process later on. The most successful outcomes have parents who are also willing to make changes.
Pet Loss and Grief
Grieving the loss of your pet is often done alone, as others can misunderstand and minimize the significance of the loss. Many pet parents feel lost, directionless, and as if they have lost their best friend or soulmate when their pet passes. Euthanasia can also complicate the grieving process. I can give you a compassionate and understanding place to grieve. Click this link for more Indiana Pet Loss Resources.
What clients are saying:
“Maddi really speaks "teen". Our daughter was extremely reluctant to talk to someone, and through Maddi’s thoughtful strategies and patience our daughter opened up and allowed her to help. We were very grateful for her support through a tough time.”
“Maddi was wonderful with my 10 yr. old daughter who has anxiety. With Maddi's help she has been able to develop friendships and has more confidence in everything she does. She went above and beyond. We had been to two other therapists and were ready to give up. So thankful she was referred by a friend.”
"Maddi helped me understand my own anxiety/OCD so I could develop the tools to combat it. Her ease of scheduling made it easy for me to keep up with her while in college, and her counsel made me feel empowered to confront any anxiety/OCD issues that may present themselves in the future."
Distance Therapy
What do I need to do have an appointment?
Client must have privacy, a good Wi-Fi connection, and may access appointments from a phone, tablet, or computer with camera and mic.
Distance therapy, also referred to as "telebehavioral health" is the use of a digital platform that provides secure,
encrypted, audio-video conferencing to communicate with a client in real-time. The professional and ethical
standards of care used by counselors when working with clients still apply.
In contrast to some popular advertised therapy platforms that use "texting" or "chatting", which are not NBCC therapeutic approved methods, all my sessions are by real-time live video. The only time text or email would be used would be to set up/confirm/cancel appointments.
Before you commit to meeting with me for therapy, we would conduct a free initial video conference to review your goals of counseling, the in's and out's of distance-therapy, and decide if it was a good fit.
There is nothing more convenient than not having to leave your home for therapy. Another benefit is having more anonymity than going to an office.
Continuing a distance therapy platform post-covid allows me to continue to see more clients during the day, as well as see clients from all over the states of Indiana and Florida.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are your hours?
I take appointments Sunday - Thursday and try to have flexible hours for client needs.
What are your fees?
My direct-provider fee is $200 for 55-minute sessions. I accept debit or credit cards. (Appointments must be cancelled at least 24 hours in advance or the entire fee will apply) My fee if you are using United insurance is $120 for 55-minute sessions, with the exception of the first diagnostic meeting, which is $150. For missed appointments, you are responsible for the full fee, as insurance will not cover them.
Do you take insurance?
I accept Optum Behavioral Health/United Healthcare
Clients are responsible for checking the details of their insurance coverage such as co-pays and deductibles.
If you call your insurance company, you will need to refer to me as Madeline instead of Maddi in order for them to find me as an in-network provider.
.
Do you have an office?
My office is a home office. I do not have a traditional walk-in office for in-person therapy.
How do I make an appointment for the initial free consultation?
Text or call me at 574-227-2227. Email me at maddi@maddiwatkins.com
Client Resources
Client Portal
These are the forms that you will be signing through your own private patient portal, but you may review the PDF versions here.
Schedule a Session
Want to hear more about how I can transform your life? Contact me today to schedule a session.
574-227-2227 (Call or Text)