Tara Currie-Martinez, LCSW
Tara Currie-Martinez, LCSW
Bay Area Therapist for Adults, on the SF Peninsula.
Bay Area Therapist for Adults, on the SF Peninsula.
You are a successful professional,
but you struggle with relationships.
You are doing well in your career, but that success doesn't always translate when it comes to your personal relationships.
You find yourself picking the wrong people, again and again. The people you pick end up having different long-term goals, or they are not healthy for you, or it doesn't work out for any number of reasons.Your friends are getting married, and you still haven't found the right person, and you are starting to wonder if there is maybe something wrong with you.Maybe you have already been married, but it didn't work out and you are not sure why, but you want to make sure it doesn't happen to you again. Maybe the relationships that are hardest for you are those with your family of origin. Perhaps you have already decided that relationships just aren't for you.If any of the above statements made you think "I can really relate", you are not alone.Call me at (510) 629-9124 to see if we would be a good fit.In-person and Video Appointments Available.
Therapy Practice
Relationships begin with ourselves.We get to decide what they look like and with who we want to have them. You can get to know when you should start them, and when they should end. You can learn to recognize when they are good for you, and when they are not. You can have healthy and satisfying relationships.My passion is working with clients to help them recognize the strengths they already have, and helping them figure out the patterns in their lives that they have come to rely on that are no longer helpful, and are holding them back from the future and the relationships they want to create.My approach to providing therapy is Integrative. This is a form of psychotherapy that combines different therapeutic tools and approaches to fit your individual needs as a person. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Internal Family Systems, and EMDR.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR Therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is widely known as an evidence based therapy prevent to be effective in the treatment of PTSD.
EMDR has also been shown to be effective in clinical settings for the treatment of Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Complicated Grief, Disturbing Memories, Performance Anxiety, Addictions and Urges, and the effects of childhood neglect and abuse (complex trauma).
EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting. Many types of therapy have similar goals. However, EMDR appears to be similar to what occurs naturally during dreaming or REM (rapid eye movement) sleep. Therefore, EMDR can be thought of as a physiologically based therapy that helps a person see disturbing material in a new and less distressing way.
If you are interested in receiving EMDR therapy, we can discuss whether or not that would be a good fit for you.
About Me
I am a Bay Area Therapist, originally from the East Coast.
I have Masters Degree in Social Work from San Francisco State University and a BA Degree in Psychology from California State University East Bay. My interpersonal style is warm, humorous, down to earth, and straightforward.
This work is important to me because I grew up in a family that didn't provide me with a blueprint for healthy relationships. I spent my younger years making mistakes, running away from healthy relationships and running towards people that were themselves wounded. After years of my own healing, clinical education, and professional experience I am passionate about helping people on their own journey to loving themselves.
I am a LCSW with 14 years of experience in working with individuals, couples, and families in various non-profit, school, and governmental settings. I am bilingual and bicultural. I have experience working with individuals of all sexual orientations and gender identities, and I am an affirming therapist.
I am a member of EMDRIA (the EMDR International Association) and abide by their standards and policies, in addition to the ethical codes of my profession.
I am also experienced in providing immigration evaluations.
