John A.Martin, Ph.D. California Licensed Psychologist
Notice: Dr. Martin isn't accepting new clients at this time. Former clients are an exception, and are encouraged to contact him at any time.
Hello.
My name is John Martin. I'm a licensed psychologist, educated at Harvard, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley, with over 25 years professional experience as a provider of mental health services, a consultant to other mental health professionals, and university teaching and research.
I assume you're here because you're thinking about getting some psychological help. What kind of help?
- Psychotherapy involves the diagnosis and treatment of psychological illness. If you believe you may be suffering from mental or nervous illness or disorder, you will benefit from working with a licensed psychotherapist (clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, clinical social worker) with solid experience in diagnosis and treatment of your illness.
- But psychotherapy is actually just one kind of psychological work. In my experience, the vast majority of people who seek psychological help are not mentally ‘sick’, and might be as well or better suited to a different kind of psychological work.
So: how about you?
If you believe you're suffering from a psychological illness or disorder, you should seriously consider meeting with a licensed mental health provider for diagnosis and treatment. You should know that your treatment will be conducted in accordance with federal and state laws and standards of practice, and that the course and outcome of your treatment will become part of your official and permanent medical records. And you should know that limits to the confidentiality of those records are governed by state law and by federal HIPAA regulations.
But if you're not ill, you might want to consider alternatives outside the healthcare and health-insurance system.
I'm trained as a psychotherapist, and have worked with hundreds of patients in a successful psychotherapy practice over a period of more than twenty years. However, I no longer offer psychotherapy services, and no longer accept clients who believe they may be psychologically ill and require psychotherapy.
“ Again, in my experience, most people who seek psychological help are on-the-whole psychologically healthy and are looking for better, more satisfying lives. Most people who seek help, while sometimes in considerable distress, are more-or-less well-adjusted, but are just stuck or confused or resistant in some area(s) of their lives. ”
My current approach to psychological work, which has evolved gradually over the course of my professional career, emphasizes growth and positive psychological change. I have found that most people who are not psychologically ill benefit from an orientation that focuses on what's right, what's good and what's true about them rather than concentrating on diagnostic labels, illness and judgments about what's broken and needs fixing.
This website includes both an introduction to me and my work and an effort to help you to determine who and what you're looking for.
Welcome. I hope you'll find my site helpful.
- Let's get started: Click here