Hidden Gems: Meet Elisa Martinez of Elisa Martinez, LMFT

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elisa Martinez.

Hi Elisa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey to becoming a psychotherapist came during a period of healing in my life as I was coming to terms with my own mental and emotional health challenges. My struggle with anxiety and depression began at a very early age, reinforced by distressing life experiences, losses and traumas that led to a breaking point in adulthood. My desire to learn about psychology wasn’t initially to help others; it was to better understand and help myself!

Along the way, it became clear to me that my own lived experience with trauma, anxiety, and depression – in combination with my natural affinity for supporting others – made being a therapist feel very natural for me. I’ve had many other careers prior to this in business and education; however psychotherapy has been the calling that has been a true fit for me. Today, I facilitate my clients’ transformative journeys via my online private therapy practice, serving individuals in Southern California and throughout the state.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Anxious overthinking, depression, insecurity, and the ever-present “inner critic” were near constant companions for so much of my life, making it hard for me to show up in healthy ways in relationships, work and life. While I achieved a high level of external success in my previous fields in business and education, inside I was having a hard time keeping it all together. My relationships weren’t the healthiest and I while I was striving for happiness and peace, it was elusive.

Yet I feel that these struggles – along with my own desire for healing – were the metaphorical fire that shaped me and help me grow into who I am today (and with plenty of support along the way!). My lived experience gives me a valuable first-person understanding of the inner turmoil that others grapple with, and my training and experience as a therapist equip me to support others in finding the peace that has eluded them. We are all work in progress and I’m honored to help others heal!

As you know, we’re big fans of Elisa Martinez, LMFT. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am a depth psychotherapist, which means I help people heal and find relief from deeply-rooted psychological challenges, emotional wounding and traumas. These can manifest as anxious overthinking, chronic insecurity, self-doubt, self-criticism, being highly sensitive to rejection, people-pleasing and a compulsive drive to achieve just to feel worthy.

I specialize in working with highly introspective, anxious and achieving-yet-insecure adults who are always trying to stay one step ahead of that harsh inner critic…their fear of failure…and the voice that tells them that they’re not “good enough.” They may be stuck on the hamster wheel of anxious overthinking, or in personal or professional burnout. They know something is wrong, but they just don’t know how to fix or change it.

This is where I come in! Therapy with me is about unburdening yourself from the layers of conditioning and trauma that have kept you stuck and stagnant so that you can feel more confident, grounded and self-assured. I don’t believe in “one-size-fits-all” in therapy, so my approach is highly-personalized to your unique needs, goals, strengths and personality. I use an array of impactful, proven therapy modalities that can help you heal in ways that traditional “talk therapy” simply can’t, including IFS, EMDR, Brainspotting, somatic- and mindfulness-informed therapies and more.

My style has been described as warm, non-judgmental, inquisitive and validating. I am highly committed to using my skill, experience, and deep care to help my clients find meaningful change. If you’re ready to feel more secure in your worth…better able to care deeply for yourself…and be more comfortable taking healthy risks so that you can lead a more fulfilled life – lI’m happy to talk with you about how you can get there.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I am an animal welfare advocate, have many years of experience in animal rescue, and used to work as an apprentice falconer with birds of prey (owls, hawks and other raptors). My dream is to create programs that brings together people and animals in a therapeutic and educational settings to support the well-being of people and animals through the powerful human-animal connection.

Pricing:

• $300/60-minute therapy session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.elisamartineztherapy.com