Martha Ayala-Tannis, LCSW - Therapist in Connecticut

About Martha

Martha Ayala-Tannis is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years in behavioral health. She has provided care since 1997 and brings steady experience to conversations about relationship stress, parenting challenges, trauma, and major life changes. She mentions offering Christian counseling and combines long practice with a respectful, down-to-earth manner.

Martha uses a mix of therapeutic tools rather than a single method. She values listening first, then helping people set practical goals.

Background and approach

Sessions often focus on what someone wants to change and on steps they can try between meetings. Her background includes training across several established approaches. This variety lets her match the way she works to each person’s needs.

She draws from cognitive and behavioral techniques as well as from client-centered and psychodynamic ideas. People will find sessions that aim to be straightforward and solution-minded. Conversations usually include identifying stresses, building new coping steps, and practicing small changes that add up.

She also uses strategies to manage intense emotions when they come up. Martha practices in Connecticut and holds the LCSW credential. She speaks English and notes that Christian counseling is an available option.

Her style is collaborative and practical, with attention to each person’s values and goals.

Therapeutic approaches for online family and parenting support

Client-centered therapy in Martha's work focuses on listening and understanding what matters to the client. It helps people feel heard and shapes sessions around their values and goals. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at patterns of thinking and behavior and teaches practical skills to change unhelpful habits and reactions. It is often used for worry, stress, and changing day-to-day routines.

Finding the right approach is collaborative. Martha will discuss different methods and decide with each person which ideas to try first. She adjusts the plan over time based on what helps and what feels respectful of personal or faith beliefs.

Online sessions give flexibility for busy families and people managing life changes. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, while phone sessions offer a simpler option when video is not possible. Live chat and text-based messaging make it easier to check in between appointments or share quick updates. These formats can help fit therapy into a varied schedule and keep progress moving even when life gets busy.

Client-Centered Therapy

The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Concrete skills for riding out strong emotion, tolerating distress, and handling relationships without things escalating. The skills are practised in daily life, so between-session support by message or phone fits naturally.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does she address?

Martha works with relationship issues, family and parenting struggles, trauma and abuse, and coping with life changes.

How would she describe her therapy style?

Her approach is collaborative and straightforward. She listens first, then helps set concrete goals and steps to try between sessions.

What is her professional background?

She has 25 years of experience in the mental health field, working since 1997 and trained in multiple therapeutic approaches.

What credentials and location are listed?

She is an LCSW licensed in New York and Connecticut: NY LCSW 070075 and CT LCSW 007333, and she practices in Connecticut.

Which languages are supported for sessions?

Sessions are offered in English.

What session formats are available?

Sessions can be done via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging.

How are costs handled?

Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

What are the first steps to begin?

To begin, select the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.

Specialties and expertise

Top specialties

Relationship issues
Family conflicts
Trauma and abuse

Also works with

Coping with life changes
Parenting issues

Therapeutic approaches

Experience: 25 years
Licensed: Connecticut, New York
Languages: English

Next step

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