Elisha Ellis Madsen, MME, MT-BC

I’m a music therapist, writer, dog mom, and grounded optimist.

Hi, I’m Elisha! For a decade, I’ve been helping anxious, stressed, and overwhelmed folks find some relief in a tough world using creative and holistic tools like music, mindfulness, movement, and meditation.

All of my clients come to me searching for something. If you’ve landed here, I’m guessing you may be searching for something, too.

Perhaps you’re searching for someone who will provide a safe space where you can share openly/honestly without fear of judgement.

Perhaps you’re searching for a holistic and creative way to manage hard things like anxiety, depression, pain, or chronic stress.

Perhaps you’re searching for a way to gain deeper self-awareness and understanding through exploration of emotions, experiences, and stories.

Perhaps you’re searching for practical support like advice, collaborative problem solving, or development of new coping skills.

Perhaps you’re searching for a way to reclaim creativity and joy in your life.

Or perhaps you’re not even sure what exactly it is you’re searching for, but you just feel like there’s a piece of the puzzle that’s missing.

If you can relate to any (or all) of these, I’ve been where you are, and I’m really glad you found your way here.

It has been my honor to partner with many people who are searching for something—people just like you—over the past decade during my career as a board-certified music therapist and wellness coach. Prior to private practice, I worked as a Music Therapist in a California state prison for several years, and I also founded and led the Music Therapy Program for Sutter Health CPMC, a major healthcare system in San Francisco.

My priority, and the reason I founded Feel, is to help people feel heard, feel supported, and feel better through reclaiming creativity as health and wellness.

My approach is holistic, which means that in addition to music therapy, I will often incorporate elements of mindfulness, meditation, and nature into our time together. I see you as a whole person, worthy of expressing your highest and most authentic truth—no matter who or what that is.

My own healing story began in 2013, when I developed physical symptoms that led to many visits with doctors, intrusive tests, multiple diagnoses, and eventually major surgery. After that, I was consumed with anxiety and fear about when the other shoe would drop in my life. My experiences left me feeling disconnected from my body and anxious about my anxiety. It was a vicious cycle.

However, it was through this experience I discovered that reconnecting with my body and practicing mindfulness, meditation, mindset shifts, and full self-expression through creativity—especially music—helped to improve my own physical and mental health. Over time, I learned to trust my body again. I found creative strategies that helped me feel less afraid and less anxious. I developed a mindful meditation practice (and I figured out how to stick with it!). Now when I feel stressed or anxious, I know how to feel my feelings and ground myself, and I feel a lot better. Today, I’m honored to help others who are searching for creative and holistic ways to navigate hard things.

When I’m not practicing music therapy, coaching, or playing music, you can often find me writing (check out and subscribe to my blog here), birding, or resting on benches or trees with my aging dog. In a society that tries to convince us that self-worth is dependent upon productivity, my personal mantra is “less hustle, more rest.” I believe rest is inherently deserved, not earned. If you struggle with this, I’d like to help you reclaim rest in your life, too.

I’d love to hear from you.

Elisha