Mark Hayman-Martinez

Hello! This is Mark Hayman-Martinez, RN LMFT. I am both a Registered Nurse and a Psychotherapist who has been in the helping professions since 1992. I consider myself warm and personable. Because of my training and experience, I prioritize safety and stability before pushing for change. For most acute anxieties and depression issues, Please especially consider reaching out to me if you are adjusting to a new medical diagnosis, or coping with care-giving stressors. I also welcome patients who are working on health changes including weight loss, but I am not a weight-loss program.

My approach

I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Time-Limited Dynamic psychotherapy and usually work in a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy mode at first. Are you using your self-talk to coach yourself or to beat yourself down? It has appeared to me that many people benefit from some focused and goal-oriented work, with more short-term follow-ups as circumstances call for.

My focus

I work with many health-related patients adjusting to death and dying, chronic illnesses including weight control patients. I am very comfortable helping people who are confused and anxious about life-changing decisions and actions. I have also had several parents who are adjusting to health changes in their child. Most of my nursing life has been in Pediatric Intensive Care and Adult Hospice.

My communication style

I believe strongly in an interactive conversation with focus on the client. I do not ascribe to the old-fashioned quiet therapist who sits still-- that time has come and gone in my experience. I want to focus on you, and I will push you back in that direction, but I am a person and you are a person.

My journey to mental healthcare

I grew up in a large family that had some members with chronic illness including a sibling with intellectual disabilities. It was very natural for me to pursue the helping professions because I have learned the great power and honor of being present with someone. There are little gems of joy to be found in life, and I like finding them. After Graduate School I focused on raising my own family. I went to nursing school (once I wasn't needed at home full time) because I strongly feel that the division between physical and mental health is silly, and not useful. I have really loved my work in both fields and will continue to keep one foot in each.

My goals for you

Because of my training as a nurse, it's my instinct to start with the very basics of physical safety. I think you will get a lot more out of the deeper cognitive and feeling work once you can check off the safety and comfort issues. Goals are essential, and they need to be incremental and objectively apparent. Many of my clients benefit from unraveling a goal into attainable bites.

My first session with you

In our first session, we will obviously introduce ourselves. I want to know some basics about why you are spending this time and money, and I want to know what success will look like. I will absolutely be asking questions about your physical world, including a list of any medications or recreational drugs that are in the picture. I want you to feel safe, and for that to happen, I need to know who you are.