Born in Statesboro and raised in Portal, Erin Lawson graduated from Portal Middle/High School in 2007 then began her undergraduate degree at Georgia Southern University. Once she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2011, she entered Georgia Southern’s Doctorate in Psychology, or PsyD program, which features classes for the first four years of study, and concludes with a professional internship for the fifth year. Lawson earned her master’s degree in 2014, and completed the program in 2016, earning her doctorate.
The seed for this life accomplishment was planted early on in Lawson’s life. When she was a teenager, Lawson met a mental health professional who inspired her, and this encounter sparked thoughts of psychology as a future career.
“A psychologist impacts different people every week, and that change that they can create in those people that they work with ripples out to everybody in their orbit and has a profound impact in positive, healthy ways,” Lawson says. “I remember being like 13, 14 years old and going ‘I can’t think of a better use of a life than that.”
Lawson’s love for her close-knit family made the decision to attend Georgia Southern for all three degrees an easy one. She was able to live at home until she graduated with her doctorate, and, thanks in part to the university’s graduate assistantship program, had zero student debt when she finished. In addition, she connected with people in the psychology department during her undergrad, so she already had a rapport with the faculty when she was accepted into the PsyD program.
“I had these great relationships with the professors from undergrad, and I knew what kind of a program it was because I knew the kind of people that were teaching there.”
It wasn’t until the fifth year that Lawson had to leave the Statesboro area to fulfill the off-site internship requirement for her last part of the program. She had applied for the counseling center at Georgia Southern but was matched with The Faulk Center for Counseling in Boca Raton, FL, which turned out to be fortuitous in more ways than one. Lawson not only loved her year at her site in Florida, but she also was inspired to try something new: improvisational comedy.
“The internship site was a perfect fit, but I didn’t have any friends in the area yet. I ended up exploring improv because I like acting, but also because I needed a community.”
Improv comedy allowed Lawson to make Delray Beach, a city of over 66,000 people, a bit smaller. Through her acting classes, she met new friends, and eventually met the man who would become her husband, Thomas Pawelcyzk.
“We started dating, got engaged on stage during an improv show and the director of the theater later married us at Hames Hall in Claxton.”
The couple continued to collaborate onstage until the COVID pandemic, the birth of their daughter, and the loss of Lawson’s grandmother changed life as they knew it. They made the choice to relocate back to Bulloch County in early 2023, and are now enjoying abundant family time with their loved ones.
After a few years of teaching at a university, working with a group practice, and doing clinical supervision for her former internship site, Lawson started her practice in Statesboro in February of 2023. She currently rents a space from DPS Health & Wellness in town.
Lawson incorporates improv into her work as a clinician, employing techniques such as humor, active listening skills, and “using the moment” with her clients. This allows her to endure whatever uncertainty a client session may bring. As an added bonus, Lawson uses her past experiences onstage to inspire other therapists by offering professional development.
“I have done improv workshops for psychologists to help them learn how to take the wisdom of improv and use that. I find that’s where a lot of the humor and a lot of the spontaneity helps out clinically. Being able to sit with whatever somebody brings to the table, accept it and say ‘yes’ and to help strengthen the therapeutic relationship have really helped me be very personable, warm and accepting of whatever the person is coming in with. I think it can have a great impact for other clinicians too.”
Trained as a generalist, Lawson is equipped to handle a wide range of mental health challenges her clients may be struggling with. She works with people of all ages and helps them navigate myriad issues including anxiety, depression, parenting, and couples counseling. She is passionate about helping people move from one stage of life to the next.
“I love working with grief and loss, role transitions, and identity development. I really enjoy being a part of that process for people.”
Lawson, among her many talents, has a heart for service and realizes the great need for mental health counseling, particularly in the Statesboro community.
“It’s a growing community and it’s going to grow even bigger in the next 5-10 years.”
Lawson’s long-term goal is to have her own site, where she hopes to become a practicum site for Georgia Southern’s PsyD program and offer psychological testing for clients who need it. In the interim, she will continue to create a safe space for clients to work through their challenges.
To learn more about Erin Lawson and her practice, please visit https://erinlawsonpsyd.clientsecure.me/.