Member Profile by Shelley Horner, LMFT

Martha Uhl, MFTI

Martha Uhl is a very busy Marriage and Family Therapist Intern, who between caring for her seven month old son and working at two internships was able to squeeze in a meeting for the member profile. Did I mention she is also the Vice President of memberships for our chapter? Martha is an insightful person with lots of energy and ability.

Martha originally hails from Connecticut. She went to Middlebury College in Vermont for her Bachelor's degree, where she met her husband. They later moved to Los Angles for her husband's film career. Martha attended Cal State Northridge for her Masters degree in Counseling with a focus on Marriage and Family Therapy. Martha enjoyed doing her fieldwork at the Southern California Counseling Center, which views therapy through a postmodern lens. She found her niche working with teens in their teen violence prevention group.

Now, Martha enjoys working with pre-teens and teens at the Child and Family Therapy Center in Encino and Agoura Hills. She enrolls teens in social skills as well as stress and anxiety groups. She is passionate about individual and family therapy as she views helping teens find their way during stressful times is crucial for their development. Helping parents and teens have empathic relationships is also an important part of her work. She also does couples work in her private practice, using Emotionally Focused Therapy.

Martha joined the SFV chapter last summer just prior to having her son. She realizes she likes being involved, "I'm a joiner," she stated. When asked, she readily volunteered to take on the role of Vice President of Membership. Martha finds it interesting to understand the inner workings of an organization. She really likes meeting people at our gatherings as well as learning new things. Martha believes, "Having regular meetings with workshops is great since, once out of graduate school there's not enough structure to select topics so it's nice to show up and just listen and learn."

Martha also enjoys the networking part of our meetings. She says it's interesting to hear about what other therapists are doing. She stated "Hearing about the wide array of possible areas to focus on as a therapist is inspiring." Martha recommends that we take advantage of the membership, advising, "It's easy to find people to connect with since we are sort of "pre-screened."

To sustain her energy and passion she enjoys exercise, especially Crossfit and backpacking. She and her husband take annual backpacking trips in the Sierras. This year, they are excited to take their son. Hard work and challenge invigorate this amazing intern!

If you would like to reach Martha, please contact her at 310.985.9719 or Marthaulhtherapy@gmail.com

This Member Profile was written by Shelley Horner, LMFT. Shelley enjoys connecting with fellow SFV-CAMFT members, helping clients in her Calabasas private practice, and being with her family, friends, and kitty cats.