Therapist Spotlight: Diane Martori, LCSW

Meet Diane Martori, LCSW, a therapist with A Good Place

What inspired you to pursue a career in therapy?

While studying abroad in Ecuador, I worked with children living in poverty. From this experience, I knew I wanted to help people and do some good in the world. After graduating with my degree in social work, I began working with teenagers in a residential treatment facility, providing therapy and doing case management. 

After that, I worked in an outpatient clinic in Queens, moving up to supervisor and later to director of the clinic. After several years in such a fast-paced environment, I was feeling burnt out and missed doing therapy, so I stepped down and did some traveling before coming back to practice therapy.

Where did you spend your hiatus from work?

I went to Israel first as my cousin was in a lacrosse tournament there. After that, I made my way to Southeast Asia, visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Indonesia. I even did a yoga teacher training in Bali, which involved a lot of self development and was healing for me in many ways.

When the holidays rolled around I still wasn't quite ready to dive back in all of the way so I waded in by working online while I spent the winter in Costa Rica. Once I had had my fill of traveling, I came back to practice therapy.

What would you say was your biggest takeaway from your experiences while traveling?

The importance of minimalism and the positive impact it can have on our mental health was a big takeaway for me. Personally, I found that I am much happier with less, like a smaller apartment and less income, but more balance. I traveled with just one backpack and realized that all of the things I thought I needed were weighing me down. Once I let go of those things, I felt less pressure and a sense of peace. That is what I brought with me back to regular, day-to-day life.

I think where people and clients can succeed is in finding what makes them feel good. You want to have space in your life, physically and metaphorically, for new things to come in, to just be and exist. That can be hard to do amidst physical, mental, and emotional clutter. So I am very big on meditation and clearing out that mental space so you can experience just being and existing.

Having worked with teenagers and young adults, what advice would you give someone on the brink of adulthood to stay balanced?

Find a creative or physical outlet. Where can you best express yourself? Whether it's through art, music, writing, drama, or sports, you want to find an outlet that works for you and a safe place to do it.

For your personal development you also want to take time for self reflection, even if it's just five minutes at the end of the day to go through your day and help put things into perspective. With the pressure for children, teenagers, and young adults to go! go! go!, it's important that they know that it is healthy to take a moment to step back and look at the big picture. 

Who would identify with you? Who is your ideal client?

Someone who is looking to grow. I feel like I connect well with people who are interested in the mind/body connection. I really enjoy EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques, which is where you tap on acupressure points on your own face and chest. Whether it's through breathing, tapping, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation techniques, there are many different ways into the mind and body. These mind/body techniques can be especially helpful for people who experience physical symptoms, such as people with anxiety. 

What's your favorite part of being a therapist? 

Of course, I love the breakthrough moments when a client comes to a realization or changes a behavior and sees positive results, but I also really love when a client says, "I'm feeling so much better, I don't think I need therapy anymore." As much as it breaks my heart to see them go, it's very rewarding when it gets to that space where they can say, "I have my wings now, I can fly away."

Do you think that people can get to a place where they have the tools they need to manage on their own without therapy?

It is up to the individual, but yes, I like to think that people are in charge of their own healing. I can guide you in the process, but ultimately it's up to you whether you want to receive feedback, whether you want to implement things into your life, and whether you want to get to where you're going.

Once you have that insight, those tools and strategies, and you're feeling good, then I can say, "leave the nest and go." So yes, for some people, I think they can definitely get to a place where they are able to spread their wings and go off on their own. 

Are there any social issues you are passionate about?

One of the things I have worked closely with in the past that is near and dear to my heart is immigration. In this political climate, it says a lot about how we treat each other. People are people no matter where they're from. While it seems polarizing right now, I think it would help to remember what unites us all, which is our shared humanity. 

What is your favorite form of self-care?

Meditation. It gives me mental space. It’s important to me to find that inward silence so that I can better handle things on a day-to-day basis. I recently did a 10-day silent meditation retreat which was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but it was worth it because it was also life changing. I felt very different afterward, and from that experience I've realized that it's something really important that I have to do every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. 

How do you feel about the changes technology has had on therapy?

I personally really like to be live and in person, but I also think it is convenient for people to have video chat and over the phone options available to them. Email can be a useful tool for sharing other resources. You can connect on different levels through these other platforms and mediums.

However, I am hopeful that in person treatment will continue to exist because it is important to see people face to face. Clients are looking for that too. When people primarily use technology to connect with others they start to miss that face to face, human connection. When you're in the presence of someone else you can feel what's going on with them, and the energy coming off of them.

What would you like your legacy to be that you leave to those coming after you?

I would like to show people that it’s ok to slow down and we can give ourselves permission to do that. You can choose to be centered, and kind, and to connect with people, even amidst all of the chaos. We can all be the types of people who make others feel seen and heard.