Aimee Martinez, PsyD (She/Her)
“Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path.”
MY STYLE
I started doing this work because I believe something most people quietly already know: that the life you're living on the surface is only part of the story. The anxiety that shows up at 2am. The relationships that keep ending the same way. The sense that you're succeeding by every visible measure and still feel hollow. These aren't character flaws. They're invitations — into something deeper. 'm a licensed clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. My work is rooted in contemporary psychoanalytic thinking, which means I'm less interested in giving you a checklist and more interested in understanding you — the full, complicated, sometimes contradictory person you are. That said, I'm not a blank screen. I bring curiosity, warmth, and a genuine point of view into the room. Before becoming a clinician I had a background in performance, which has given me a particular fluency with creative people and those who live close to feeling.
I work especially well with:
• Adults navigating identity, relationships, and life transitions
• Creative professionals and performers
• Mental health clinicians seeking their own depth work
• Former athletes adjusting to life after sport
• Only children and those navigating complex family dynamics
• Those who've done therapy before and are ready to go further
My approach draws primarily from contemporary psychoanalytic and psychodynamic frameworks — an orientation that takes seriously the role of the unconscious, early experience, and relational patterns in shaping who we are and how we live. I integrate CBT and mindfulness when they serve you, but the depth of psychoanalytic work is where I've seen the most lasting change. The work is collaborative and unhurried. We'll explore your past when it's relevant, sit with what's uncomfortable when that's what's needed, and build something over time that shorter-term approaches often can't reach. Some sessions will feel clarifying. Others will stir things up. Both are part of the process, and I'll be with you through all of it. I offer individual therapy one to two times per week. For those drawn to deeper work, I also offer psychoanalysis at higher frequency — three to five sessions per week — for a more intensive experience of self-exploration and change.
Getting Started
Ready for Support? I offer a complimentary 10 to 15 minute phone consultation — a chance for us to get a sense of one another, talk through what's bringing you in, and figure out together whether I'm the right fit. If I'm not, I'll help you find someone who is. I've built a large referral network of clinicians in Los Angeles and take that part of the work seriously too.
EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE
I received six years psychoanalytic training from The New Center for Psychoanalysis to become a Psychoanalyst. In addition, I am the Past-President of the Candidates’ Organization. I am grateful for my Master’s and Doctorate education I received at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology in Westwood and my clinical training in co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders from Phillips Graduate Institute and CLARE Foundation. During my pre and post-doctoral experience, I completed two years of training at the Wright Institute Los Angeles (WILA) where I received a certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. In addition to my private practice I am currently the Director of Clinical Relations for WILA and allows me to integrate my passion for social media, online/community connectedness and clinical practice. In addition, I am Core Faculty at WILA and both teach and supervise clinicians in training while supporting their professional development.