The Eternal Present: Living in the Here and Now

 

Dr. Nikki Martinez, an Independent Medical Expert at the Federal level and has been an Adjunct professor for the past 13 years joins eHealth Radio and the Psychology & Relationships Channels. Dr. Martinez also works as an Independent Consultant for Various Individuals, Groups, and Organizations, as she continues to see a small caseload of Individual and Couple patients through Tele-Mental Health Services on a regular basis.

Topic: The Eternal Present: Living in the Here and Now

Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Nikki Martinez discuss the following:

1. When You Say "The Eternal Present," because this is a phrase we have seen used in other contexts, what do YOU mean by it?
2. To understand the benefits of being 'present,' we have to understand the harmfulness of 'living in the past,' can you say a little about that?
3. You also note that it can be unproductive to obsess about the future. Can you speak a little about that?
4. How does the concept of the "Eternal Present" represent or mirror your treatment philosophy?
5. Once people see the benefits of living in the present, do they ever 'slip up' and revert to old behaviors and ways of thinking and acting?

Dr. Nicole Martinez received her master’s and her Doctorate from Illinois School of Professional Psychology and completed her pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellowship at Gateway Foundation in Lake Villa, Illinois. Prior to that she attended the University of St. Francis where she completed a double major in Psychology and Therapeutic Recreation. Dr. Martinez has experience working with adolescents and adults in individual, family, and group treatment.

Her therapeutic style can be described as integrative, assessing the needs and style that will best serve the individual client. She typically has a mix between Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapy and various holistic approaches, with an emphasis in CBT, Solution Focused Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Positive Psychology. She believes in exploring the connection between the body and the mind to treat all the individuals’ needs. Her belief is that an individual must explore many areas of their functioning to ensure optimum health physically and emotionally.

She stresses the essential belief that the therapist and client relationship is collaborative in nature, and the two are 'partners,' who communicate from the first steps of designing the course and goals of treatment, as well as what the priorities will be. Dr. Martinez understands that it is just as important to identify any treatment styles, tools, techniques, or methods that 'did not' work, as did, so that the two of you can work together charting a new path and avoiding precious time and frustration on that which has already been proven to be a poor fit. Dr. Martinez also understands that each person is unique, there is no 'one size fits all,' and that the needs of an individual may not only change from the initial inception of a treatment plan, but from month to month or session to session, and that adapting and meeting the patient 'where they are at,' at any given moment is essential to both letting the patient know they are being heard and attended to, as well as positive treatment outcomes.

Areas of expertise: Medical and health psychology, trauma, PTSD, depression, anxiety, social anxiety, bipolar disorder, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders and neurodivergent considerations, LGBTQ populations, bereavement, forensics, substance abuse, addictive issues, couples work, MISA, co-occurring disorders, domestic violence, sex offenders, special needs populations, and chronic medical issues and rare diseases. Evaluation and assessment of the above-mentioned individuals.

Website: https://www.drnikkimartinez.com

Resource: EverydayPower.com [key word “Nikki Martinez”]

Social Media:
Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/nikki-martinez

The beliefs, views, ideas, thoughts and opinions expressed on any program are those of the persons appearing on the program and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the eHealth Radio Network.