Today we’d like to introduce you to Elizabeth Martin.
Elizabeth, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was 15 year old, a friend introduced me to therapy. I finally had a name for what I was seeking and had been amateurly attempting to offer to others. It was a safe place to be seen and heard, validated, educated and encouraged. I was hooked. Quickly I realized I could get paid to talk to people and help them feel better. I was all in! I’ve known what I wanted to be when I grew up since then and I have never done anything different. I was encouraged to find a niche so I received an Associates degree in Substance Abuse and Bachelors and Master’s degrees in Social Work. Straight out of graduate school in 1996, I worked at a small, private counseling and substance abuse clinic. I ran the Intensive Outpatient Group Treatment Program (IOP) 5 nights/week for 3 hours/night and saw clients individually during the day. I loved it. What was special about this program was that it was five nights/week and the significant other was invited to attend group free with the addict/alcoholic. I found this to be a brilliant approach.
By having both in group, clients and their partners could do their own work while learning about addiction, themselves, and their partner from other clients and their partners. We all have blind spots. Often times it is difficult to see things in ourselves or our situation, but when we can see it in others we can make the connection. The set up was especially helpful in creating awareness and compassion, especially for the couples. During my time running those IOP groups, I learned a great deal about addiction and what incredible kind, loving, brilliant, creative, dedicated souls addicts are once they are out of the grips of the substance. Every now and then I get a random call from a former client telling me they are 20+ years sober and thanking me for the experience they had in my group. After a few years of running IOP, I was ready to have a family so I went out on my own and have been in private practice ever since. My skills and my practice have evolved in the 26 years that I have been in this field. Early in my career, I found it was impossible to specialize in addictive disorders without becoming a trauma specialist. Simply put, addiction is a coping mechanism that has run amok. We have all experienced some level of trauma and we all have coping mechanisms. When trauma is relived over and over, we find a coping strategy to avoid the pain and perpetual triggers of the past. When we find something that works, we will use it. Over and over again. This is how addiction is developed. Addiction is a response to trauma.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, my career has been a smooth road. It is my belief that when you are living your purpose, the path just develops for you. In 2005, my family moved to Dallas from New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina. I had never been to Dallas and didn’t know a soul here. Regardless, I set out to start up my private practice again. The Universe has always just put the right people in my path at the right time. Fairly quickly I was back in business doing what I love to do. Today, I have a thriving practice full of extraordinary and motivated clients. I have several quality referrals sources and colleagues that I trust and value. Every day I get to help folks get unstuck, heal, and transform their lives.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I practice therapy under my licenses, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor. I specialize in addictive disorders, including all chemical and process addictions (food, shopping, sex), as well as trauma, treating older adolescents and adults, individuals, couples and groups. What sets me apart as a therapist is that I talk about the hard stuff. I will teach, challenge, and hold accountable all while offering compassion and support through the process. I often get referrals for people ready to go deep. Folks that have been to therapy and have gone as far as they can go in those settings, but are ready to go deeper and work at the core. Those brave souls are my typical clients. Not long ago, I started another business… Repetition = Results, LLC, where I offer Therapeutic Intensives for clients wishing to take their work deeper, get results faster, or just need extra support for short period of time.
Our patterns of behavior are the result of repetitive thoughts, feelings and beliefs. My Intensives are 30 days and include a basic curriculum, as well as treatment plans that are highly individualized to support achieving the client’s new desired results. I do this by teaching them how their unconscious patterns developed and using the same tool of repetition familiar to the brain in order to create healing and growth that is lasting. Intensive clients have access to me every day for the 30 day program which includes numerous individual sessions as well as unlimited email. The frequency of the therapy allows clients to deep dive into issues covering far more ground in a much shorter time than traditional weekly therapy can offer. Daily support allows for rapport to build quickly, as well as the ability to monitor and immediately intervene on any reactions or unconscious blocks that would typically derail growth. The creation of this one-of-a kind treatment has produced incredible outcomes including fundamental shifts and long-lasting results for clients. I am very proud of this program and get excited at the opportunity to do this kind of work.
What matters most to you?
Saving lives. Addiction is a fatal disease. Period. If you are an addict long enough, you will die from your disease one way or another. (Gambling addicts actually have the highest fatality rate due to suicide.) Feeling stuck in a powerless situation can also be fatal. People who feel hopeless either take their lives or give up living. Unfortunately, no one suffers alone. Addiction, mental illness and personality disorders affect everyone that loves and cares for that person. Generations are affected. Which means society is affected. Jails and college counseling centers are busting at the seams. It is an epidemic of epic proportions. Yet, quality treatment is hard to find and not inexpensive. I believe very strongly that people can heal and transform their lives in remarkable ways. Which then, like a pebble dropped into water, has a positive rippling effect. I have experienced it personally. Being able to be part of someone’s healing journey is an honor to me. I consider the work we do sacred. Helping people to be better is my Purpose. I am extremely grateful to do the work that I do, especially since it feels more like a privilege than work. I am so dedicated to this work and making this information available to all, I regularly offer therapeutic content on social media. I have made videos and have offered lots of helpful content free of charge on my public sites. Please feel free to follow me.
Contact Info:
- Email: Elizabeth@ElizabethMartinLCSW.com
- Website: www.ElizabethMartinLCSW.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/elizabethmartinlcsw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Elizabeth-Martin-LCSW-LCDC-589881831489240/
Image Credits
Loco Lens by Michelle Loconto
