Sonia MartinLCSW

My career trajectory has lent itself to various approaches to the therapeutic relationship. Much of my interactions have been a non-traditional setting, less of a one on one office environment. When working on outreach I learned that speaking with someone at their street location for 15 minutes can be just as powerful as a full hour session in an office. Therapy can look very different from what we imagine or how it is traditionally portrayed, and often can be just as effective.

Throughout my career I have always worked as part of an interdisciplinary team. I have always found that talking out a case, especially when particularly challenging can open up new approaches and avenues to benefit the client. Ensuring that one has all the information about the client so as to view them from all angles is a key to robust treatment.

Mental health has always been in the forefront of my life since I was a child. Many members of my family have struggled with bi-polar disorder including my grandmother who lived with us for about 10 years. This is what brought me to the field and inspired me to want to provide support for those struggling with their mental health. This has given me an inherent patience and compassion for those with mental health issues and my clients in particular.

• New York, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, 086062

I have a wide range of experience in the field and have worked with diverse populations for the duration of my career. My recent role as a Director has given me the opportunity to train and teach staff in clinical interventions. I have also been able to provide crisis intervention, non traditional therapy, and general mental health assessment as well. Each week I also run a clinical meeting that involves the clinical management staff as well as the on site psychiatrists. We discuss difficult cases and clinical interventions that would best benefit our most challenging and vulnerable clients. For the ten months I have branched out to traditional one on one therapy. This has been extremely rewarding and is part of the reason that I am looking to transition into a therapist role full time. I have enjoyed exercising my clinical skills in a more traditional therapeutic dynamic.