Your trail guides
on the quest for trauma wise solutions
Trauma Wise Couple Therapy, a joint project from Kathryn Barksdale, LPC & Margaret Martin, LCSW, SEP, focuses on providing solutions to therapists working with high-trauma couples. We met in 2020, brought together by a common interest in complex trauma and couple therapy. We geeked out over all things neuro-nerd and bonded over a mutual frustration with the lack of trauma-informed, trauma-focused couple therapy training.
The strength of our partnership lies in our shared passion and differing perspectives. Together, we create room for questions, curiosity, and a variety of opinions. Join us in pursuing high-quality care and practical solutions for challenging clients.
Margaret Martin, LCSW
Margaret is an ISTDP and PACT therapist with a slight fanaticism for trauma-informed care and deliberate practice. She coaches level one and two students for the PACT Institute and hosts a monthly online discussion group for PACT therapists. Margaret completed the PACT Institute’s inaugural invitation-only certification program and is one of 25 therapists worldwide to receive the designation of PACT-certified therapist. She is a founding member of an ISTDP peer-supervision and leaderless process group. She presented on a deliberate practice panel with fellow group members at the 2022 IEDTA conference in Venice. She is a board member of the IEDTA and chairs the IEDTA Diversity Committee. A self-described training junkie, Margaret also trained in Somatic Experiencing, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Emotional Transformation Therapy, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy.
Kathryn Barksdale, LPC
Katie is an individual and couples therapist specializing in complex trauma and dissociative disorders utilizing Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing, Interpersonal Neurobiology, Internal Family Systems, Trauma Focused Therapy, attachment theory, and parts work. Katie approaches her work with couples through a lens informed by Stan Tatkin’s PACT model, Terry Real’s Relational Life Therapy, and the work of Esther Perrel. A sex-positive trauma therapist armed with a background in research and human sexuality, Katie is passionate about removing the stigma and shame that prevents individuals and couples from experiencing sex and sexuality joyfully. She is a walking library and has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of trauma therapy and the intersection of trauma and sexuality. Although she might deny this, Margaret can attest to it.