Robert Sims MS, Doctoral Intern
Ashley Martinez, LPC
My Services Offered
My job involves helping people. I work with diverse individuals and families to overcome the struggles they are going through and help them find the find the path they want to travel. I also create group therapy sessions to help look at behavioral and interpersonal stressors and how to solve them. I also provide psychological evaluations for clients looking to define, understand, and diagnose symptoms to better understand their behavior as well as provide a guide for treatment. I offer consultation for clinicians and young therapists wanting guidance on how to get licensed and practice today. Similarly, I create workshops for personal and professional development.
What it is like being in session with me
Treatment/Approach modality
Through all my services, I use multicultural competency and cultural awareness. This process allows me to create an environment for people who feel a challenged sense of belonging. It is an effective tool in creating an open and safe space for you. I also use family systems and interpersonal approaches. I help you identify your roles in life and how those roles relate to those around you. This allows you to see who you are and know your purpose in life. Lastly, I enjoy using motivational interviewing. This is a systematic, structured approach that can help you deal with massive life changes and decision making.
I want to build a rapport with you. I strive to get to know you as a person not defined by the choices you have made. There are no bad people, only those who have made different choices. It is important for me to connect with you and make you feel like I am someone you can trust and share anything with. No matter what stage of life you are in, I am here to see you as you are and work with you to find the path that you want to be on.
My specialties
I see you as more than the judgment others have placed on you. I specialize in work with forensic populations and those in the penal system. Whether it is you or a family member struggling to find hope amidst difficult realities, I provide hope. If you have already been to jail or at jeopardy of going to jail, it can feel as though society has already placed their judgment on you, and there is no way to change. I am here to show you that there is more to life than your past or the issues that you are dealing with. There is hope everywhere; the journey is about finding it and realigning the joy in your life.
Many of my clients are dealing with the same issue of feeling like they do not belong. I work with those dealing with interpersonal conflict, the LBGTQ+ community, and people with behavioral concerns. Whether it is helping an individual or their family deal with trying to come to terms with certain issues and how to move forward to ensure progression, I am here to help guide you to the path you want to travel. Even with my consultation services, I aim to help young therapists on their journey down being a therapist and what is necessary for them to be the best clinician they can be.
Specialties include: depression and anxiety; trauma; behavioral concerns; addictions; grief and loss; issues tied to self-esteem/identity; interpersonal conflict; LGBTQ+ issues; relationship, identity, and marriage issues; families managing the court system; community re-entry; finding purpose
How therapy helps
My credentials
My hobbies
Testimonials
Education
Doctor of Psychology (PhD 2024)
Clinical Psychology
Walden University
Master’s Degree (MS, 2018)
Clinical Psychology
Walden University
Master’s Degree (MS, 2012)
School Psychology
Capella University
Bachelor’s Degree (BA, 2010)
Psychology
University of Georgia
Honors, Awards & Memberships
- PSI CHI – International Honor Society in Psychology
- The National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS)
- 3-time President’s list – Capella University – 4.0 GPA
Specialties
- Conduct and Oppositional Defiant disorder
- Anxiety and Depression
- Trauma
- Childhood
- Parenting and Contingency plans
Clinical & Consulting Interests
- Individual, Family, and Group Therapy
- Psychological Evaluations
- School and District consultation for discipline
- Mental Health literacy for primary education implementation
What it’s Like to Work with Me
My experience has been focused on the identification and treatment of a variety of mental disorders that affect children such as ADHD, conduct and opposition defiant disorders, and others that primarily result from dysfunctional thought processes and habitual patterns of thinking. Consequently, I utilize Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Rationale Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT) in combination with Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT).
I believe that determining the severity of a disorder, and how it affects day-to-day functioning is one of the most critical aspects of treatment and intervention. I have worked in home-based therapy and have extensive experience with crisis intervention. I have a strong commitment to serving the needs of school aged youth and adults dealing with crisis and functioning on a daily basis. A major part of overcoming problems is the desire and willingness to change. Helping others to identify problems and equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to overcome them is a passion. I further believe that there is not a problem, or situation, beyond repair.
Personal Highlights
I am a PhD – Clinical Psychology doctoral candidate at Walden University, working under the clinical supervision of Kelly Lewis-Arthur, Ph.D. My practical experience focuses on the therapeutic effectiveness of mental health literacy to the treatment and intervention process of mental disorder.
Testimonials
Working with Ashley makes therapy easy, fun, and comfortable.. she always greets with a smile and never made me feel judged. ~Anonymous
My Hobbies
I am a believer in mind – body connection and therefore engage in, and enjoy regular weight training, running, and other forms of exercise. I also enjoy chess and watching college football in my spare time.
