Meet Jordan Madison | Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jordan Madison and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jordan, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born in Atlanta, GA, but raised in Brooklyn, NY for the majority of my life. My parents were students at Spelman and Morehouse at the time of my birth, so my grandparents played an integral role in raising me. Though my parents never married, seeing how the two sides of my family came together to make me the number one priority, was a huge example of how family is the foundation. For many therapists, their negative childhood experiences have led them to become the person they needed when they were younger. I was fortunate to not have that experience. Instead, an episode of Grey’s Anatomy is what led me to want to be a therapist. I remember seeing the main character in a therapy session, and her therapist helped her have an “aha moment” and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to help people make sense of their past, see how it is influencing their present, and motivate them to take control of their future. It wasn’t until my junior year at Spelman that I realized that a marriage and family therapist, was the exact specialty I wanted to focus on. During my junior year I was the president of PEPers, a mental health organization on campus that aimed to be a liaison between the students and the counseling center. Through this position, I realized how much mental health was stigmatized and not discussed in the Black community. My junior year was also the year that Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. I was outraged and moved by his death, and became apart of some peaceful protests and helped to organize one of my own as well. I began to think that if his murder was impacting me so much and I’m just a stranger, imagine how the people that loved him feel. It was also a stark reminder of how much the Black community needs a space for healing, since we are constantly facing these realities on a daily basis. So my belief that family is our foundation, my passion for reducing the stigma of mental health in the Black community that was conceived in the gates of Spelman College, the need for healing in our communities that was sparked by the killing of Michael Brown, and the joy I felt from helping my friends in their relationship problems, combined into the perfect career for me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a licensed clinical marriage and family therapist, which sets me apart from other therapists because I am specifically trained to see individuals, couples, and families. Even when seeing individuals, I am looking at them from a systemic perspective, belonging to a system of others, not just standing alone. What makes me the most excited about my career is how much I have already accomplished thus far at a fairly young age, and how much growth and expansion I see in my future. I also get excited when I realize how much my brand on instagram has grown since I began it two years ago. To get to where I am now, it took a lot of time, patience, self-reflection, growth, and money. Lots of money. I received my Bachelors in Psychology from Spelman, and then went straight into grad school to receive my Master of Science in Couple and Family Therapy from the University of Maryland, College Park. My masters program was two years long, and accelerated. To graduate from the program, you needed 400 hours of clinical contact hours, and to do a thesis or a clinical case study. So not only did I spend at least 400 hours talking to individuals, couples, and families, during evenings after my classes, but I also conducted a qualitative study on how Black women are being impacted by police interactions for my thesis. Not to mention, having an assistantship to help pay for grad school as well. Besides graduating, I had to pay to take the National Marriage and Family Therapy exam, and pay to apply to be a licensed graduate marriage and family therapist (LGMFT). Once being an LGMFT, you get two years to get 2,000 hours of clinical experience, and then you have to pay even more money and apply to be a Licensed Clinical Marriage and Family Therapist. Since graduating from UMD, I have worked as a couple and family therapist at Friends in Transition Counseling Services. Through my experience, I have learned so much about what it takes to run a private practice, the clients I enjoy working with the most, and the importance of having a team. While I work for another practice, I began my brand in 2019 as a way to bring in more clients through providing psycho-education. I make content that focuses on self care, healthy relationships, and normalizing therapy. I also began to sell “therapy is my JAM” t-shirts as a way to help reduce the stigma around mental health. I want the world to know me as a key figure in the Black community when it comes to mental health and healthy relationships. I want people to know that you can do anything you put your mind to, you just need to start it. And it doesn’t have to be perfect on the first try. I feel like a lot of my success has come from winging it, putting in the work, and trusting God.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I may be biased, but I always go back to the AUC, especially around homecoming season. I think it’s a place to have fun of course, but most importantly to see so many young Black men and women achieving their goals. The first place to eat that is deemed a staple would have to be American Deli, the one in the West End mall typically. Other places that come to mind are the ferris wheel and SunDial at night, The Atlanta skyline is a spectacular sight, and always gives me a sense of home. I also love Atlanta for the historical landmarks and visiting the MLK Museum and Ebenezer Baptist Church are a must as well. As far as the fun stuff, Royal Peacock and Compound have been my favorite places. And besides American Deli, I need breakfast from the Flying Biscuit and Le Petit Marche is a fave as well.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I wouldn’t be the person I am today without my family. They have come together and supported me in ways I wouldn’t have been able to imagine. They’ve been huge sources of love and support for as long as I can remember. I must also shoutout my friends, because they have been my biggest cheerleaders and remind me that I can do anything I set my mind to. Growing up as an only child, my friends held even more importance to me and plenty of them have kept me grounded through all of my experiences. Not sure if Spelman College counts as an organization, but I also have to shout out that amazing institution. Spending four years on that campus cultivated a sense of pride in myself as being a Black woman, and provided such a nurturing and uplifting environment. I believe I found my passion while being on that campus, and I am eternally grateful. Not to mention, the sisterhood and love I received from the women I met there. I always knew the Spelman sisterhood was real, because I was born into it. But being able to experience it first hand and make my own memories has been such a blessing.

Website: www.therapyismyJAM.com
Instagram: @therapyismyJAM
Twitter: @therapyismyJAM
Facebook: www.facebook.com/therapyismyJAM

Image Credits
D. Anthony Photography