Madeline Watkins, MSW, LCSW
About
A Baylor graduate with roots deep in West Texas, Madeline became a social worker not solely by career choice – but because it has always been the truest expression of how she shows up in the world. Much like the desert landscape of her youth, her earlier years were not without adversity or trial. As a young girl, life demanded she discover beauty in the most unforgiving places and foster a transformative “grit” that would later become the effortless strength and compassion she embodies today.
“Madeline as a person, is deeply passionate and committed to healing in the context of rich communal diversity.”
It was here in the Panhandle, she first experienced healing through the love extended to her by her hometown, Levelland, Texas. Having known great loss herself, it was this communal love that empowered Madeline to reinvent her life in the spaces where love’s absence had been most deeply felt.
It was then by the power of giving this love back in return, she learned that showing up for others — with steadiness, intention, and care — doesn't negate grief, but through human connection can allow it to serve as what she considers a “great unifier”. Not denying loss, but ultimately honoring it through the weaving together of those familiar with life’s unraveling edges and the tattered borders of the human experience.
Seeking to immerse herself in with more experiences, Madeline eventually left her home of Levelland and moved to Central Texas. There she began her early studies at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, TX. She filled her time reading and writing about various world religions, philosophy, theology and church history. All the while, she continued to fuel her passion for the Spanish language native to her home area. She pursued educational opportunities in Ecuador, La República Dominicana and México. She continued to foster her deep reverence for cultural diversity. She practiced connecting with locals in these communities to learn of barriers to their individual health and communal development. All the while, Madeline struggled in her work within the backdrop of Southern Christian ministry, where traditional ideologies often failed to acknowledge the “bio-psycho-social factors” affecting the well-being of community members—particularly those of different races, genders, or socioeconomic statuses. During this time, her college professors became trusted guides, helping her wrestle with these tensions and make space for a more holistic, inclusive understanding of faith and justice.
Hardworking and unrelenting, Madeline continued to wrestle with her deeply-held values, moving up the road to Waco, TX. There she pursued a Masters of Social Work at Baylor University. Social work allowed Madeline to address humans’ tangible needs involving their physical, mental, emotional, social and financial health, prior to the emphasized “spiritual deliverance” often so insincerely preached to suffering individuals and people groups. At Baylor, Madeline studied clinical social work practice, concentrating on the study of trauma and its impact on individuals, groups, and communities. She welcomed the widening of spirituality, making space for the faith message that once felt so “black and white” to her as a little girl — a message ultimately rooted in the love for all people. Throughout her entire journey, Madeline has unapologetically upheld the belief that every person holds equal, inherent value—and when given the right resources and means – are able to live a self-determined life that nourishes not only their individual well-being but the lives around them as well. It still deeply saddens Madeline how radical that simple truth still seems in today’s society.
Aside from her work as a therapist, Madeline has served in numerous professional roles involving a diverse set of patient populations. Her work experience extends from hospitals, jails, treatment courts… to federal women prisons, veteran healthcare systems and childrens’ homes. She has served as an advocate for minorities, survivors of sexual assault, those experiencing homelessness and persons in recovery.
She has most recently spent her years budding a career in medical social work. She has labored tirelessly in the acute care setting with patients suffering extreme physical trauma and complex, chronic health conditions. She has since moved home to Lubbock, TX, supporting patients and families in crisis by providing psychiatric assessments for children at a local hospital’s Emergency Department. Everyday, Madeline exercises advocacy for equal access to safe, appropriate mental treatment.
She crafts creative solutions for patients with sparse resources that would be otherwise overlooked in an ever-expanding care continuum. All of these spaces have refined her clinical lens and deepened her understanding of how structural violence and systemic neglect can impact individual mental health, familial and communal well-being.
Much like Madeline’s personality, her therapy approach is trauma-informed and deeply human. She is justice-oriented, with the belief healing happens in safe, dignifying relationships. Madeline is a fierce, and encouraging advocate when a way forward may be indistinguishable. She has a talent for sitting with one as a gentle, empathetic listener while holding space for life’s hardest questions… supporting one while they uncover a truth that is healing, not harmful—a reality that restores dignity, hope and honor to all. Her deep lifelong commitment to curiosity, learning, and growth have paved the way for her to have sojourned with hundreds of individuals through seasons of pain, hopelessness, and ultimately healing.
If you so choose to journey with her, you will not only marvel at the dusk fading behind you—but discover the courage required to create a new and inexplicable, rising dawn.
Madeline currently practices as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Lubbock, Texas.
There she resides with her orange cat, Dunkin, and grey kitten, Junie. You can catch her on a weekend visiting her beloved grandparents, Damon and Linda, or planning a last minute trip to El Paso in search of the best margarita or most breath-taking mountain to hike.
Madeline holds a deep reverence for the pride and joy found within Hispanic heritage and culture. She loves throwing herself into the vibrant local scenes of a culturally diverse community. Madeline is a discerning risk-taker, moving with bold discernment while staying unwaveringly loyal, come what may.
With wholehearted abandon, she pursues the richest depths of friendship—especially with kindred souls who know the all-too-familiar ache and beauty of being human. Whether chatting with locals at a cozy bar or chasing down live mariachi, Madeline's warm, carefree spirit lights up a room, transcending cultural barriers and making all around her feel at home.
