J. Casey Martin

J. Casey Martin

J. Casey Martin ’07 certainly knows what it is like to live in a city with tempting, delicious (read: unhealthy) southern food. Before returning to his hometown of New Orleans, LA, Martin — a therapist who specializes in eating disorders and weight management — lived in Charleston earning his sociology degree and psychology minor at the College of Charleston. The mental health and wellness expert recently opened his own practice, Martin Mental Health, and wrote an e-book titled A Good Place to Start: Improving Your Relationship with Food — a resource for individuals hoping to improve their relationship with food from a psychological perspective. “The idea started as a way to put down on paper the themes I discussed with each of my therapy clients so that they could continue to think about the ideas on their own time,” he explains. “But it wasn’t until I got the material back from my graphic designer that I thought how approachable this could be to anyone that was struggling with food or weight related concerns.”

Can you explain how your time at CofC, specifically your sociology and psychology classes and professors, helped prepare you for what you’re doing now?

My classes and professors gave a great introduction to how the scientific method can be applied in the day-to-day world.  Whether I’m working with patients or deciding on my next marketing campaign, I’m constantly thinking of identifying and testing hypotheses and variables.  I like to think of sociology and psychology as macro and micro perspectives of the same issues.  This has been incredibly helpful conceptualizing how to approach the work I’m doing in New Orleans on creating the dialogue to help its residents improve their relationship with food while maintaining their culture.

What made you decide to become a therapist?

It was something I was considering before I went to CofC.  I was always interested in how someone’s life experiences impacted the person he/she became.  But even after I finished graduate school, I was exploring other options.  I largely avoided the hard sciences and business courses at CofC, but I began taking prerequisites for med school and interviewed for some MBA programs while I was completing my training in Denver.  I ended up deciding to move back home to New Orleans in 2013 to start my practice as a way of trying to tie all my interests together.

What advice would you give current students? What advice would you give students thinking of being a therapist?

I would encourage current students to take full advantage of all the resources CofC has to offer.  I definitely took that for granted.  I wish I would have taken a more diverse route with classes in science, business, and marketing and I wish I would have taken the sailing course.  I would also suggest saying “yes” to as many opportunities you can juggle at once.  The research, writing, and presentations I have done professionally have been instrumental in my professional development, but I had a steep learning curve that I wish I would have had more practice with at the College. For those considering a profession in mental health, I would suggest trying to get through grad school with as little debt as possible.  Explore programs with graduate assistantships.  Ask the school where they have placed their students for internships.  Consider the pros and cons of a master’s versus Ph.D/Psy D.  Feel free to reach out to me with questions about the process, because that decision should not be taken lightly.

Martin’s practice specializes in eating disorders, weight management, anxiety disorders, and stress management. He is a volunteer and board member of Luke’s House, a Community Advisory Board Member of Tulane’s Prevention Research Center, and an active contributor of Fit Nola.