Areas of Specialization:
Trauma and spirituality, including religio-spiritual trauma
Grief/Bereavement
Dissociation/Attachment
Issues unique to clergy and religious professionals
Brainspotting in religious/spiritual settings of care
Creativity and artistic performance enhancement
Spiritual direction/accompaniment
At-risk children and families
Martha is an internationally known, long-time Brainspotting Trainer, Specialty Workshop Presenter, and Consultant. She has studied with Dr. Grand since 2001, and learned Brainspotting directly from him shortly after he discovered it. Martha offers individual Brainspotting Consultation for trained Brainspotting practitioners, as well as Brainspotting-integrated spiritual direction/accompaniment. Her consultees include psychotherapists from all disciplines, clergy, spiritual counselors, coaches, educators, and more.
A Lutheran (ELCA) pastor for 45 years, Martha has served in congregations throughout the greater Metropolitan New York area. As a therapist, she worked for Lutheran and Episcopal counseling agencies before transitioning to the private psychotherapy practice from which she retired in 2023. She has advanced training in Bowen family therapy, EMDR, and Pesso-Boyden System Psychomotor therapy. All her work is informed by her background as a performing artist in music and dance.
Martha provided humanitarian service in New York through a post-9/11 non-profit organization, joined Dr. Grand as an invited service provider at the Resiliency Center of Newtown CT, and was a referral clinician for the NYC Wounded Warrior Project. She is a member of the founding Supervisory Board of the humanitarian organization, Brainspotting Help.
For over a decade, Martha has presented foundational workshops and webinars related to Brainspotting and global spiritualities that she developed out of her practice experience and academic research. She collaborated with Mag. Monika Baumann (Brainspotting Austria) in co-developing and presenting the original specialty workshops for using Brainspotting with children and adolescents, which Monika has since expanded. Martha is the author of several chapters and articles about Brainspotting in both clinical and theological publications, and a forthcoming (2026) book on Brainspotting and spirituality.
Martha teaches Brainspotting Phases 1 and 2, Consultant-in-Training classes, her Specialty Workshop, “Brainspotting and Spiritualties, Religions, and Contemplative Practices” (revised and updated for 2026), and occasional “Brainspotting Mondays with Martha” classes. She offers ongoing, closed, “Consultation and Support” groups for Approved Brainspotting Consultants, and is developing a training course for Certified Brainspotting Practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of Brainspotting theory and applications without becoming Approved Brainspotting Consultants. Martha offers trainings and workshops for clergy and spiritual caregivers as well as mental health practitioners.