Marty Cooper, MFT

Marty is a highly intelligent, compassionate and insightful therapist. I was a client for approximately 1 year and a half and gained a tremendous amount of practical suggestions that I was able to incorporate into my life. With guidance I was able to notice behaviors and patterns before choosing to act, instead of mindlessly acting in response to feelings of overwhelm, fear, etc. Marty challenged my previous and long held assumptions about myself and life. From the safety of his office I was able to test certain hypothesis I had about myself and find out that they were not actually true. From a place of compassion I slowly began the process of rewiring my brain. While I imagine it will be a lifetime process each time I practice what I have learned I become more adept and consequently more grounded. Thank you Marty, you are one in a million!

I have known Marty for several years as a friend and colleague and I must say I have found him to be a remarkable person and and a highly skilled therapist. He is truly gifted; a brilliant mind that he uses in service to kindness, compassion and joy of life. He has what in Buddhism refers to as «Prajnaparamita» a deep wisdom that is rooted in the heart. As a colleague, I consider him a «master therapist.» I have found that he has deep understanding of the psyche and how to work with people to liberate themselves from the pain and suffering of depression and anxiety. He is one of the first people I refer others too, and I consider those who work with him fortunate.

This man is a gift to human kind. He has truly walked the walk and his perspective on depression/​anxiety is utterly inspiring. There are so many theories out there, so much information. And what Marty brings to his clients is personal experience and an ability to speak from a place of having lived through some serious darkness and having arrived at a place of great clarity and wisdom. I would absolutely refer anyone struggling with anxiety and depression to Marty, and I would recommend Marty to those who don’t struggle with depression and anxiety as well! The interviews and talks on Marty’s website have changed my paradigm and perspective so profoundly. I would highly recommend having a listen if you’d like to understand him more deeply. Marty has been a colleague of mine for some years now and I have the pleasure of hearing about his work and receiving his insights through a regular consultation group that we share. I’m extremely fortunate to have Marty as a peer and a mentor.

Marty has remarkable clarity, flexibility, and intuitive reach. His grasp of his field of expertise is comprehensive and multidisciplinary: an open, non-​dogmatic approach that allows him to address his clients’ individual needs without the one-​solution-​for-​everyone mentality. Marty’s depth of study in the field of depression in particular has given him a sense of the general structure of depression, its transpersonal anatomy, and how its mechanisms operate within the individual psyche. So he’s able to address both the personal and non-​personal elements at play, and helps his clients to tease out and untangle these threads. I would recommend Marty without reservation.

Marty is a conscientious, well-​informed and trustworthy therapist. He’s trained extensively in MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy), EMDR, and psychodynamic/​insight therapy. And he takes each of these to another level by paying attention to how unresolved issues show up in the body! I have known him for over 7 years and have seen his dedication and commitment to his work throughout this time. I recommend him wholeheartedly.

If you’re looking for someone who is an expert on depression and anxiety therapy, you’ve come to the right place! Marty has dedicated himself to understanding and treating the «wild moods» and besides one on one psychotherapy he also leads mindfulness based groups.
When you’re looking for a therapist you want someone that has walked the path themselves and that has experienced the pain as well as the growth through their own life. Marty is definitely someone like that. He is also down to earth, accessible and a real person. His work is grounded in mindfulness meditation and in an integral approach and is therefore more holistic and it also honors the best of what we all can be (or in fact already are). As a psychotherapist I have consulted with Marty regarding some of my clients and have always appreciated his big picture view and his practical advice. Bottom line, I highly recommend him.

I had the pleasure of studying and training with Marty in the CIIS Masters program in counseling psychology and have known him for the years since. I was impressed by Marty’s keen intellect, openness of heart, spirit and dedication to the highest benefit of his clients with compassion and non-​judgment. These qualities have flowered in his years of practice along with high clinical acumen. Through his practice and deep experience of mindfulness and searching intellect, Marty has become an innovator in the effective treatment of anxiety and depression. I would highly recommend Marty for anyone who is suffering from anxiety or depression or any person who would like to to heal wounds and let go of negative patterns with a psychotherapist who will get who you uniquely are and can become in a kind, compassionate and encouraging environment.

I have been working with Marty for over a year after completing his MBCT class. I got a lot out of the class about working with depression — it was different from any other technique I had used, and inspired me to begin weekly therapy with him. Marty’s approach is mindfulness-​based, and non-​dualistic. I have found him to be non judgmental and very warm and supportive although he is not directive, but rather encourages you to learn about yourself and question false assumptions you may have, as well as learning about the bodily states associated with your feelings. He is reassuringly intelligent. I have seen a couple of other therapists over the years, one psychoanalytic and one cognitive, and he has been by far the most helpful.
I recommend him wholeheartedly!

I recommend taking the MBCT course; but I do not recommend taking it with Marty Cooper. I have been practicing meditation for ten years, and I have had many teachers, some good, and some not so good. The good ones are not doctrinal; they adjust their teachings to meet their students’ needs. Unfortunately, Marty views meditation from a narrow perspective, and the casualty is his patients’ meditation practices.
I am always disappointed to see people who are learning meditation for the first time receive their instruction from someone who can not give them what they need. I was saddened to see beginners in our class struggle with Marty’s meditation instruction and clearly become frustrated. Marty’s answers to their questions were confusing and often off the mark. It would not surprise me if many did not continue meditating regularly after the course was finished.
One of my favorite meditation instructors told a class, «there is no such thing as a bad meditation student; either the teacher is bad, or the technique is bad.» I believe the MBCT techniques are solid, and I recommend taking the course from another instructor. (I wish I could recommend someone, but at the very least I recommend going with another instructor, even an unknown.)