LISAN MARTIN, MSW

In practice for over 35 years, I began my career in New York at the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services treating high-risk children and adolescents, as well as adults, many of whom had experienced sexual abuse, trauma and neglect. I learned how vital it is to help people develop strategies and skills that they can use in their daily lives to enhance their resiliency and strength. Today, I support my clients in honing the skills they need to manage life more effectively, to have deeper emotional connections, and to feel more positively about the future.

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Since relocating to the Washington area in 1994, I have worked with a diverse range of clients in out-patient mental health services at Jewish Social Service Agency, in affiliation with several group practices and now solely in my own private practice. I offer a welcoming environment, bringing warmth, compassion, empathy and humor to my work, and have an active, engaged style in sessions. 
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I value collaborating with other professionals and, when appropriate and with client consent, I coordinate care with prescribing psychiatrists, other treating clinicians, and primary care physicians. 
 
I enjoyed being a student, first at Brown University where I studied Classics and then at New York University where I received my Master of Social Work. My post-graduate study includes certification in child treatment; advanced training in couples treatment on topics of sexuality and emotional intimacy; and extensive training in mental health counseling for infertility and postpartum mood disorders through Covington & Hafkin and Associates, The Postpartum Stress Center and Postpartum Support International. In the months after the tragedy of 9/11, I completed certification in disaster response mental health counseling and volunteered with the American Red Cross.
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I always learn from my colleagues and maintain active membership in:
National Association of Social Workers
The Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work
Mental Health Professional Group, American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Resolve, The National Infertility Association
DC-MD-VA Women's Mental Health Consortium
Postpartum Support International
The Postpartum Project
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