John A.Martin, Ph.D. California Licensed Psychologist
Background and Interests
I'm a California Licensed Psychologist (PSY 9128), living and working in San Francisco, with over 25 years professional experience. My interests include:
- psychological and emotional coaching, consulting and mentoring
- relationship consultations and interpersonal coaching
- spiritual exploration and guidance
- professional issues for psychologists including case consulting, professional ethics and uses of psychological evidence
This is a brief introduction to me and to some of these interests.
I spent the early years of my professional career in academic psychology, teaching and doing research at Stanford University, the University of California (at the Institute of Human Development in Berkeley and at the Medical School in San Francisco), and the California School of Professional Psychology. My work was mostly in developmental psychology, developmental and behavioral pediatrics, and applications of statistical methodology and the philosophy of science to empirical questions in psychology (my vita documents some of this early work). I am still involved, though in a limited way, with mainstream academic psychology.
I now devote most of my time and energy to my private practice. I am in solo independent practice with private offices both in San Francisco's Union Square district and in a residence in the upper Market Street area of the city. I no longer practice psychotherapy; I now offer wellness-based psychological consulting, coaching and mentoring.
Please note: I do not work with any medical or psychological insurance or preferred provider organizations (see “The Profession of Psychology”, below).
My specialties include relationship issues, managing life-transitions, gay and lesbian issues, midlife and aging, and spiritual emergence. I work primarily with individuals and couples, and sometimes work with teams and other groups (families, roommates) as well. I offer formal and informal supervision for clinicians and others, and have lectured and taught clinical issues here in the United States and abroad.
I use hypnosis, hypnotic language, and guided imagery extensively in my work (for a brief document that discusses hypnosis, self-hypnosis and "hypnotherapy", click here.).
I was also approved by the California Psychological Association Accrediting Agency as a Provider of Mandatory Continuing Education for Psychologists, and have taught a number of continuing education programs, including "Buddhist Psychology".
The Profession of Psychology
I've always been concerned about ethical issues in the field of psychology, particularly in the practice of psychotherapy. With this in mind, I wrote a brief (and admittedly polemical) document on my view of the psychotherapy scene of the 1990s, and on where I believe I fit into that scene. To see this document, click here. My interests in ethics and in the proper uses and misuses of psychological evidence have caused me to branch out into forensic and expert witness work in these areas.