Hi, I am Jannie Martinez Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
I practice within California state lines, but I am based in Los Angeles County. I obtained my undergraduate psychology degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills, as well as my Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family therapy.
My professional background
My background consists of working with non-profit organizations, school settings, and within Civil Forensic Psychology by conducting interviews, psychological reports, and assessments for immigration (601) cases, Victims of Crime, injuries, and Harassment. After obtaining experience with diverse populations (e.g., Military, BIPOC, LGBTQIA) I also acquired experience working within eating disorder treatment centers at all levels of care (IP, RTC, PHP/IOP), which I had the amazing opportunity to manage a residential treatment program and work with a collaborative team consisting of many disciplines (Psychiatrists, Registered Dietitians, Nursing team, Yoga therapists, Somatic Therapists, Music, art and dance movement therapists and more.)
I am appreciative of my educational years, practicum, professional experience, and being able to work with many different populations, ages, approaches, and colleagues with different approaches and disciplines, because I have found my passion in working with adults by providing trauma-informed care.
From adults, I often hear the following a lot, “Well, what do I do now with all of this that happened as a child? “How can I let go of all of that and just move on and live my life?” I like to focus on adult ages because more than often many individuals are not aware of what trauma is, why they act the way they do, or think the way they do, or not even understanding why they feel the way they do.
I believe that our roots and experiences shape the way we are, but I also believe that it doesn’t mean we will stay stuck there. I believe we can grow from all of those experiences and learn to “get unstuck” and create beautiful ways of living.
My Personal Background
First and foremost, I am proud to say that I am a first generation Latinx therapist, first to graduate in my family, who was raised by two Central American parents. I grew up in the middle of South Central L.A. Growing up in South Central L.A., I was often surrounded by neighborhoods that contained violence, people who did not believe in mental health, and showing emotions was stigmatized.
All of my experiences, and the surrounding experiences of others, further reinforced that I wanted to break the cycle by helping others break that cycle too.
I wanted to let others know that it is okay to show emotions, that it does not matter where you grew up, or what type of environment you were in, or what factors you were surrounding by, but if you wanted to heal regardless of the hardships, you could make that happen, it will not be easy, but it is also not impossible, and most importantly you do not need anyone else but yourself to make those changes.
I also relate to first-generation individuals from two different cultures, and the difficulties that come with acculturation by having immigrant parents. Being a minority, I believe in empowering marginalized voices. I am happy that I was able to accomplish opening up my own practice and all of my experiences and professional experiences have helped me in developing the name of my practice: B.A.R.E. Holistic & Wellness therapy, Inc.
I am a transparent, honest individual who likes to bring my personality and humor into therapy, when appropriate of course. Therapy can be a difficult and intimidating journey to take, there are many creative ways to take it and make it, and you can have more than one way to get there.
Let’s find out what works for you together!
B.A.R.E. Holistic & Wellness Therapy, Inc.