Kristen Martinez, MSW, LCSW

Kristen Martinez is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) originally from Central Texas. Kristen earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree, with a minor in psychology, from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2015. Kristen went on to earn her Master’s in Social Work, with a direct practice specialization in mental health and substance misuse, from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2017. As a social worker, Kristen has partnered with children, teens, parents, and families in various settings and roles. Prior to her clinical work, Kristen was a case manager, skills trainer, and Wraparound Facilitator for a Local Mental Health Authority.

Kristen gained the majority of her clinical experience from her time at a Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC). As a CAC therapist, Kristen received various training opportunities that supported her trauma-informed and strengths-based approach. Kristen is currently trained and certified in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Parent-
Child CARE (PC-CARE), but uses additional knowledge and training from other evidence-based and experiential therapies in practice.

Kristen currently sees clients ranging from early childhood to adulthood. Kristen believes therapy should be an invitation for healing and strongly emphasizes “voice and choice” in treatment planning and goal setting. In her experience, lasting outcomes occur when a person is ready—not pressured—to engage in the therapeutic process. As your partner in healing, Kristen hopes to create a safe, judgement-free environment for individuals to express their feelings and be their authentic selves while making meaningful changes, processing past hurts, and learning new skills.