Eileen Martin, MSW, LCSW

07/29/2025

Natures helps us reset and feel more connected to ourselves. Just ask Cooper.

07/22/2025

07/12/2025

The Woman in the Airport
by Eileen Martin, MSW, LCSW

I was traveling over a decade ago when I saw her.

A mother, clearly overwhelmed, trying to wrangle a toddler who was darting in every direction, refusing to listen, squirming out of reach, loud and free in the way only children can be. She looked exhausted.

Old me, the version shaped by unspoken shame and a need to feel in control, would have judged her.

I would have leaned on the silent superiority that comes from thinking, “She has no control over her child.” That internal commentary was once my armor, a way to avoid feeling the tenderness of my own inner chaos. It was easier to judge than to empathize. Easier to feel “above” than to admit how often I, too, felt lost, messy, unsure.

But something in me had shifted by then.

When I looked at her, I didn’t see failure.
I saw someone trying.
I saw a woman doing her best, under the weight of public eyes and tiny hands.
I saw someone who maybe hadn’t slept, hadn’t eaten, hadn’t had five minutes to herself in days.
I saw a mirror, not of who I was, but of how far I’d come in my healing journey.

And in that moment, I felt compassion, not just for her, but for the earlier version of me who judged because she didn’t know how to be gentle with herself.

That moment will stay with me forever. It was the quiet, ordinary kind of profound. The kind that slips in during everyday life and reaffirms what matters most: the way we see each other when we learn to see ourselves more kindly.

This is why self-compassion is an integral part of my work with women. Because we all carry stories beneath our surfaces: messy, painful, beautiful stories and until we learn to greet our own with gentleness, it’s hard to extend that grace to anyone else.

We heal through understanding, not perfection.
And sometimes, it starts in an airport, watching a woman hold it together the best she can.

These moments matter. They are the quiet milestones of healing.

If you’re on your own journey of self-compassion, know that you don’t have to walk it alone. This is the heart of the work I do with women: unlearning shame, releasing old roles, and making space for tenderness, even in the mess.

You are welcome in this work, just as you are.

Center for Counseling and Healing specializes in trauma therapy for individuals who have experienced domestic violence, any form of abuse, grief including su***de and homicide loss, life transitions, and women's issues.

07/08/2025

Great blog post by my friend and colleague, Christine Murray:

"If you’ve faced confusion about the dynamics of an abusive relationship because it was not 100% abusive or bad, 100% of the time, know that you are not alone. Likewise, know that you’re not alone if “good” or neutral times in the relationship contributed to any mixed feelings you had about the relationship and your partner."

“Maybe it’s not really that bad…”

If you’ve ever questioned your experiences in an abusive relationship because of the “good times” or stretches of calm, you’re not alone. In this week’s Pathway for Survivors blog, we explore how even seemingly positive or neutral moments can add to the confusion of abusive relationships, and why this complexity doesn’t make your experiences of abuse any less valid.

Read more at https://www.sourceforsurvivors.info/survivorsblog.

07/06/2025

06/05/2025

👏

Live true….. In a world full of pretending …. Live true.

link in bio:
-Workshop “From cPTSD to Peace”
-Waitlist for online group.

I’m so glad you’re here 🫶💞✨

06/02/2025

Happy Pride Month!

Happy Pride Month!!!!⁠
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05/30/2025

Great information on perfectionism.

05/14/2025

A good article from The Greater Good Science Center and reminder of the mind/body connection:

Women and health professionals need to be more aware of how this life stage can affect mood, anxiety, depression, and more.

05/11/2025

To all my survivor mommas on this Mother's Day,

You showed up for your children when love was scarce and safety uncertain.
You gave from a heart that was breaking, in a home where your needs were never seen.
You stayed—hoping your presence might protect them.
And when you left—to reclaim your life and your truth—you were cast as the problem.

You became the scapegoat in the aftermath of your bravery.
You were met with silence, blame, or absence.
Still, you love.
Still, you ache.
Still, you hope.

This Mother’s Day, may you find space to breathe,
to feel the sacredness of your love,
to rest in the knowing that you have always shown up, imperfectly with tenacity and grace

Today, may you turn your love inward. Release what isn't yours. I see you, I honor you. Well done.

04/29/2025

What does your gold star say today? ☺️

04/17/2025