An industry leader with 20+ years’ experience in the field of forensic psychology practice, Lars is an expert on matters of assessment and treatment of offending. He is also a passionate clinician and qualified schema therapist known for his warm, caring and active approach to therapy with patients across the full spectrum of clinical problems.
Lars Madsen is the Clinical Director of the Forensic Clinical Psychology Centre. His training and skillset have seen him work across clinical, community and custodial settings in both Australia and the UK as both a clinical and forensic psychologist. Industry training and schema therapy and supervision complement the services he provides.
Calm in the Craziness
Forensic
Lars has extensive training and experience in the assessment and treatment of sexual & violent offending, and is often sought out to provide expert opinion on these matters. He is an experienced expert witness, having frequently been called upon by the Supreme Court. He has worked for more than a decade as a private consultant delivering a suite of services to Qld Corrections, including the Parole Board, the High Risk Offender Management Unit and the Serious Offender’s Unit. Lars has a long history of working with special forensic populations, including those classified as dangerous; sexually deviant offenders; intellectually disabled offenders; offenders in solitary confinement; and psychopathic offenders.
He has trained as a schema therapist, and is passionate about developing forensic schema mode therapy as a method of engagement with offenders who have chronic and enduring difficulties as a result of serious personality disorder.
You can watch Lars’ appearance as an expert on the SBS program Insight here: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/author/lars-madsen
Lars often provides industry training for organisations and government departments in relation to forensic psychology, including Qld Corrections, Dept of Child Safety, Qld Police Service, etc
Clinical
Lars is also a very experienced clinical therapist. He treats the full range of clinical presentations, including trauma, anxiety, OCD, depression, stress and adjustment disorders, sexual abuse related disorders, borderline personality, self-harm issues and general behavioural issues. He has particular skill working with people who experience long-term problems relating to others. He is able to reach the core of a patient’s problems quickly and guide them towards change in an empathic and respectful manner. For Lars, therapy is about enhancing the quality of life.
Lars uses Schema Therapy as his main therapeutic approach, with a strong background in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). He holds a seat on the Advisory Board at the not-for-profit Mind Shift – The National Self Esteem Initiative, and provides the psychological insight that forms the basis of their self-esteem resources.
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. I feel that as a psychologist I can help people overcome difficulties and change if they’re willing. I believe that challenges in life are inevitable, and sometimes we have trouble coping. Talking is good, and I can help you live an authentic and genuine life, and together we can find ways to overcome your difficulties.”
