About Dr. Martha Golden, licensed psychologist
*************************************************************************
I am licensed to provide in-person and tele-health care in the state of North Carolina.
Additionally, I am licensed to practice psychology via tele-health in 39 states.
To see the status of your state:
https://psypact.org/mpage/psypactmap
*************************************************************************
Before I was a psychologist, I was an elementary school teacher. I was deeply interested in what was going on in my students’ lives, especially drawn to their personal problems. I wanted to help, but I needed more education. This spurred me to pursue my Master and Doctorate Degrees in Clinical Psychology. When I finished my doctoral training, I embarked on a rigorous study of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). In 2014, after several years of practicing DBT, I was in the first cohort nationally and internationally to become a DBT-Certified-Clinician™. DBT has always appealed to me because it is a mindfulness-based approach that focuses on teaching and learning practical, concrete skills to live a better life. DBT was originally created in the late 1980s by psychologist Dr. Marsha Linehan to treat individuals with chronic suicidal thoughts. Since its origin, DBT has gone from a highly researched, evidence-based, specialized, skills-based form of therapy to something with a much broader application. Simply put, the skills are helpful – even life-changing – for anyone committed to learning and practicing them.
I practice DBT skills daily in my own life and work. There’s no role –wife, parent, sister, daughter, friend, psychologist – that doesn’t benefit from years of this application. My greatest passion is helping people learn how to improve their own lives and thrive by teaching the same skills by which I strive to live.
Witnessing the success of patients with DBT has been incredibly rewarding. Equally thrilling is realizing how these skills can transform lives, even for those without mental health challenges. In 2015, I embarked on a new journey as a consultant for local business executives. This experience revealed the remarkable benefits that skill-based teaching and coaching can offer not just to individuals, but to entire organizations, driving overall business success. It makes sense; people who are able to navigate life skillfully are able to manage their own lives and relationships with greater effectiveness. Being skillful is not just good for life, it’s good for business. In 2024, I launched Whole Skills Coaching as a means for more people to have access to learning skills.
I have learned over and over again that we all have the ability to learn, and what we learn changes us.
