Natalie Martin

Music is one way I have learned to cope with being human. Songs name, hum, and shout aloud the impermanence and vulnerabilities of the human struggle. They help me feel more connected to myself and to you.

One of the songs that I love, and one that signifies my role as a therapist, is “I Wanna Get Better” by The Bleachers. The song is about the story that we share as human beings in counseling: I am broken, and
I want to change. And yet, the song also screams about doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. It is my calling and my wish to be part of your storytelling process of being human and to help you “get better.”

I am particularly drawn to working with adolescents. I want to help teenagers ask those questions: How do we change? How do we grow? How do we get unstuck? I have a mentor who says that, in every single person’s life, there is a “basement below the basement.” You can’t go in there alone: bring a friend and a flashlight. This takes such bravery and courage – and I have certainly done my fair share of basement work. What I want more
than anything, now, is to be the friend with the flashlight and the toolbox. I want to help others to change and grow and to learn about themselves through the exploration inside the basement below the basement. We are not guaranteed a pain-free existence, but it is my firm belief that we all have the capacity to “”get better.””