Shayla Martinez-O’Brien

A Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado, specializing in trauma therapy, with 11 years of practice.

I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) among other trauma-focused approaches to help clients better tolerate emotion related to past and present traumas and stressors.

I believe true healing comes from an increased ability to tolerate challenging emotion along with a better understanding of one’s own value system. I would love the opportunity to walk alongside you in your journey to improved self-awareness, strengthened positive neural pathways, and deeper connection with who you are.

I’m a Colorado native and do my very best to live up to the stereotype. I’m married, a mother of two, with two lab mixes at home.

How I work. Sessions with me are structured but not scripted. I’ll usually have a direction in mind and I’ll say what it is, because I’d rather you know where we’re going than have to guess. If something isn’t working, I want to hear it — that conversation is part of the work, not an interruption to it.

Who I tend to work well with. People carrying something from the past that still sets the terms of the present. People who’ve done talk therapy and found it helpful up to a point. People navigating substance use alongside trauma, which is a pairing I see often and treat as one picture rather than two separate problems.

What I ask of you. Honesty about what’s actually happening, including the parts you’d rather leave out, and a willingness to try things between sessions. Not perfection — most weeks are partial, and that is still progress.

I founded Golden Hour Wellness Colorado and work as both clinician and business manager. I also co-facilitate Mama’s Golden Hour.

Book with Shayla