Professional Services

Psychotherapy Practice

Dr. Martell is not accepting new therapy patients at this time; however he is glad to make referrals if you provide him with specific information about your therapy needs.

Dr. Christopher Martell is a cognitive-behavioral psychologist. As such, the therapy he practices emphasizes patterns of behaving and thinking that have a negative influence on people's lives. Therapy is focused on the problems of today, although patterns learned over time are also addressed. Admittedly more behavioral than purely cognitive in his approach, Dr. Martell uses treatment approaches that have been validated in empirical studies over decades of research. Treatments are provided flexibly, meaning that a case formulation approach is used, considering the problems that each client brings to therapy. If behavioral problems are the focus of treatment, techniques will be used such as behavioral activation, exposure and response prevention, and relaxation training. If treatment focuses more on negative thinking and beliefs about the self and world that are troublesome for a client, cognitive interventions such as cognitive-restructuring, automatic thought records, and evaluation of long-standing beliefs are used. Typically both behavioral and cognitive approaches are used in therapy. Researchers have also developed treatment protocol manuals for specific problems such as social phobia and panic disorder. When such protocols are available and appropriate for an individual client, they can be quite useful as treatment guides.

Dr. Martell's clients can expect the following: 1) Each session will have a mutually agreed upon agenda to structure the 50-minutes. 2) Dr. Martell will ask many questions about the client's weekly activities, the consequences of client choices, or how a client's interpretations of life events have had an impact. 3) Dr. Martell will provide direct feedback; 4) Between-session assignments to extend therapy to daily life will be discussed and set up after most sessions.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a collaborative working relationship in which the client's active involvement and honest communication are crucial. Therapy is not something that is "done to someone", rather it is a joint process of working with a psychologist who serves as a participant/observer in a client's life, and as a coach to help clietnts learn new strategies for coping with life problems. The first few sessions will involve an evaluation of goals and needs. Part of the work will involve identifying patterns of thinking, behaving and relating that may impede life goals, expression of adaptive emotions and development of mutually satisfying relationships.

While cognitive-behavioral therapy is goal-oriented, and directive, it is also a supportive therapy. Dr. Christopher Martell has been trained in techniques that emphasize the importance of the therapeutic relationship such as supportive therapy, reflective-listening, and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). Therapy is not mechanical but interactive. It is directive, but supportive. Therapy emphasizes change in thinking and behavior, but also acceptance of oneself. Feelings and emotions are to be experienced, not feared, and the inevitable struggles of life are best faced directly. In essence, therapy provides the structure and help to do so effectively.

Dr. Martell is a Washington State Licensed Psychologist, #PY00001337. For more information about his psychotheraphy practice, including insurance information and downloadable forms, please visit his page at Associates in Behavioral Health.

Consultant

Christopher Martell has worked as a research therapist on several major treatment studies funded by NIMH. As a member of the University of Washington's Treatments for Depression Study team, he helped to restructure behavioral activation treatment for depression. Since that time, he has consulted on several research projects evaluating the efficacy of behavioral activation therapy with different populations.

The following are examples of projects on which Christopher Martell has served as a consultant:

Dr. Martell has also provided supervision in behavioral activation and cognitive-behavioral therapy for clinical researchers at the Behavioral Research and Training Center in Seattle.

Please contact Christopher Martell directly if you are interested in hiring him for consultation in the development of a grant or project on behavioral activation, or for supervision and training of research therapists. Dr. Martell is also able to consult with or supervise a limited number of clinicians desiring training in BA, IBCT, CBT or FECT and can be hired on an individual basis.

Clinical Associate Professor

Christopher Martell is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington. This is a non-tenure, volunteer, clinical faculty position renewed annually. In this role, Dr. Martell serves as a clinical supervisor for doctoral candidates in the adult and child clinical psychology Ph.D. programs at the University.