Hello!

My name is Megan O’Laughlin. I write nonfiction essays, provide editorial services, offer creative coaching, and more. For my “day job,” I work as a therapist, clinical supervisor, and mental health consultant with a group practice that operates out of Seattle, Washington and Portland, Oregon. 

I was raised in academia and grew up in different parts of the country, including Minnesota, Texas, and Idaho. I was a creative, weird kid—doodling on any scrap piece of paper I could find, scribbling stories about cats in outer space. In college I studied visual art and earned a BFA in painting and sculpture. Unsure of a career path, I served for two years with The Peace Corps in The Gambia, followed by more years of travel and exploration. Driven by my interests in mental health and social justice, I eventually settled in Seattle and studied social work at The University of Washington, earning my MSW in 2007. I then earned clinical hours towards my licensure working in residential facilities, community mental health, and more. I’ve been an outpatient therapist since 2011 and a clinical supervisor since 2015. I also provide consultation and supervision services for many organizations in the greater Seattle area including Thira Health, Tukwila School District, Swedish Hospital, Acorn Therapy, and more.

After the pandemic started in 2020, I realized I needed a creative outlet to address my professional burn out. I was very interested in understanding secondary trauma and exhaustion and how it affects people working in the healthcare realm. That took me back to school where I earned my MFA in Creative Writing in Creative Nonfiction. My essays blend personal narrative with archetypal and pop culture explorations and research. I am currently working on a book length essay collection about embodiment and trauma recovery as a mental health therapist entitled Wounded Healer: Essays from a Life of Service.

When I’m not working on one of my many projects, I’m often in the gym lifting weights like Method Man, baking delicious treats, trying to get through my ever-growing stack of books, or exploring the city with my dog and kiddo.

Author Bio:

Megan E. O’Laughlin (she/they) is a psychotherapist and artist whose writing can be found in The Rumpus, Watershed Review, Anti-Heroin Chic, Defunkt Magazine, Cleaver Magazine, and others. She cohosts the I’M TRIGGERED! Podcast which discusses depictions of mental health in movies and television. She is currently writing an essay collection about professional burnout and recovery. Megan lives in Seattle, Washington.

More information:

• BFA in Studio Art from University of Idaho, 2000

• MSW from University of Washington, 2007

• MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland University, 2023

• Co-host of the I’M TRIGGERED podcast

• Managing Editor for the Black Fork Review

• CNF Reader for Reckon Review

• Behavioral Health Writer for TCI, including articles, newsletters, and website copy

• Nonfiction editor for the Black Fork Review, 2022-2023