About kristen martinez

You may have heard that the most important factor in the outcome of therapy (moreso even than the theoretical orientation - what "type" of therapy you end up doing) is the goodness of fit between you and your therapist. It is absolutely true - no therapist will work well with every person. We each have different needs as clients, and every therapist has a unique style, personality, and perspective. It takes a whole hell of a lot of self-awareness to figure out what kind of support you're looking for, so trust your gut.

In therapy, I prioritize holding space for you so that you can turn the volume up on your internal voice and intuition. My vibe is warm, reassuring, down to earth, genuine, respectful, compassionate, and curious; I also am a fellow human being witnessing the wildness of these modern times and am all about calling shit out for what it is, especially as we figure out how to exist in the hellscape that is late-stage capitalism. I am an intersectional feminist who is committed to doing my own consistent work on being antiracist and disentangling from other -isms. Often the greatest harms come from systemic and societal beliefs we have inevitably swallowed whole; in our work together we can de-identify from these toxic blueprints that we no longer consent to internalizing, and instead can craft the ways we want to live within our own personal values and ethics, as who we truly are in relationship with ourselves and others that honor our boundaries and limits.

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Washington: LH61073131. You can confirm my Washington license here. I am a National Certified Counselor (NCC) by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): 330387. I have Master's of Education and Education Specialist degrees (MEd/EdS) in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Florida's College of Counselor Education with a specialty in LGBT+ affirmative counseling.

Over the years, the types of clients I have found myself working best with (and who have taken up the lion's share of my practice) are queer, trans/nonbinary, neurodivergent (including ADHD, autism, HSP, and other neurotypes), on the asexual spectrum, kinky, and/or poly/ENM. In my experience, these characteristics tend to overlap or cluster so if you belong to one community, you may belong to one (or several other) related communities. If you are introspective, thoughtful, engaged, proactive, and have a sense of humor (especially if you love puns!), we could work very well together.

I am queer, a self-discovery that occurred only after focusing my practice as an ally working with the community for almost a full decade. I know all too well how slippery "coming out" can actually be since it was right in front of my face for so many years, yet I wasn't able to fully see it and accept it in myself. As well as being queer, other identities I hold include: asexual, neurodivergent, invisibly disabled, and kinky.

In my spare time, you can find me reading multiple books at a time, eating brunch, hanging out with my partner, traveling, and taking pictures of every amusing sign or bumper sticker I come across.

Over the years, I have been interviewed about mental health topics for the following publications:

• Huffington Post - Healing and Talking Guns In A Post Orlando World
• Psychology Today - How to Cultivate More Self-Compassion
• Health - 7 Major Health Disparities Affecting the LGBTQ+ Community
• Bustle - Possible Signs Of Depression That Are Easy To Miss
• Bustle - 11 Mental Tricks To Help You Conquer Your Fears
• Bustle - How To Know If You're An Overly Critical Person
• SheKnows - Bi erasure is real - and more damaging than you think
• Talkspace - Mental Health Problems Bisexual Men and Women Deal With
• The Everygirl - Are You Second-Guessing Your Relationship? 9 Questions to Ask Yourself
• The List - False Facts About Women People Always Assume Are True
• Culture Trip - Why You Should Live Every Day Like It's Thanksgiving
• Health - What Does It Mean To Be Bisexual?
• Health - Tokenism: What It Is and Its Mental Health Effects
• Salon - The casual racism of our most popular dating apps
• The Blonde Side - Suicide Took My Best Friend
• Careers In Psychology - Kristen Martinez
• Careers In Psychology - How Therapists Keep From "Therapizing" Their Family & Friends
• Health - What Does It Mean To Identify as Transmasculine?
• ScaryMommy - Can Motherhood And Sexuality Coexist?
• YouBeauty - Picky Eating vs. An Eating Disorder: What's The Difference?
• Bustle - Daily Habits Of People Who Don't Get Stressed
• Bustle - 11 Habits That Encourage Self-Love
• Bustle - How To Feel Comfortable In Your Own Skin
• The Everygirl - How to Find Richness in Your Loneliness
• YourTango - A Good Cry Makes You Stronger and Healthier
• Bustle - Amber Rose Shared A Sexy Photo While Pregnant With An Empowering Message About Sexuality