Bianca N. Martinez

BACKGROUND AND EDUCATION Hello and welcome to my practice. My name is Bianca N. Martinez and I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT118745). I received my Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University’s Graduate School of Education and Psychology and my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Northridge. CLINICAL TRAINING I have ten years of clinical experience and have worked with numerous populations. I interned for two years in CSUN’s Mood and Anxiety Disorder Clinic. Then spent a year at O.P.I.C.A. working with individuals with Alzheimers and other Dementias. Before finding my way to La Vie Counseling Center, where I spent four years honing my clinical skills and decreeing my clinical interests. Over the past few years I have developed a passion for working with everything related to Maternal Mental Health and the sometimes-difficult transition into motherhood. I have completed the “Maternal Mental Health Certificate Training for Mental Health and Clinical Professions,” “Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy” trainings offered through Postpartum Support International and 2020 Mom and which focuses on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and “The Advanced Practice of EMDR for Perinatal & Infant Mental Health” through the Touchstone Institute. Additionally, after the first Certification in Perinatal Mental Health became available in August 2018 through Postpartum Support International, I began taking steps to obtain my certification. As of June 9, 2021 I have completed the necessary coursework and passed the required exam for certification, which allows me to use the designation of PMH-C and claim perinatal health as a specialty. To keep my PMH-C designation, I continue to obtain continuing education units (CEU) specifically in the field of perinatal mental health. I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, which is a form of psychotherapy used to treat troubling symptoms (anxiety, guilt, anger, depression, panic, sleep disturbance, flashbacks, etc.) which result from traumatic experiences. I am a trained as a facilitator for Prepare/Enrich, a program proven to significantly impact the relationships of both premarital and married couples. A Level 1 trained in the Gottman Method for Couples Therapy, a form of therapy used in “helping couples compassionately manage their conflicts, deepen their friendship and intimacy, and share their life purpose and dreams.” Lastly, I am a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT).