Dr Martha Ferrito
Chartered Psychologist | EMDR Consultant | BABCP-Accredited CBT Therapist
Martha is a Chartered Psychologist, EMDR Consultant and BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist with almost two decades of experience across NHS, forensic, charitable, academic and independent settings.
She works with adults experiencing a wide range of psychological difficulties, including anxiety, OCD, trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, shame, low self-worth, emotional overwhelm and relationship difficulties.
Martha works with people at different stages of their mental health journey. Some are beginning to make sense of their difficulties for the first time, while others have already done a great deal of reflection or previous therapy but still feel caught in patterns they cannot seem to shift.
Alongside her work at Mindspace, Martha continues to work within the NHS with severe and complex presentations and provides supervision, training and clinical consultation to other professionals through Ferrito Training & Consultancy.
Martha’s Approach
Empathetic and Attuned
Martha’s style is warm, thoughtful and relational.
She pays close attention not only to what a client is saying, but also to what may be difficult to put into words, how the client is experiencing the work, and what may be happening within the therapeutic relationship.
Her aim is to create a relationship in which clients feel understood, respected and safe enough to explore difficult experiences honestly.
Active and Collaborative
Martha is not a passive therapist.
She listens carefully, but also asks questions, notices patterns, makes connections and, where helpful, gently challenges ways of thinking or coping that may be keeping someone stuck. Therapy is collaborative and has direction, but it is not rigid.
Together, you will think about what you want to change, develop a shared understanding of what may be contributing to the difficulty, and regularly review whether the work is helping.
Comfortable With Complexity
Martha is particularly experienced in working with difficulties that do not fit neatly into one label or treatment model.
She works comfortably where trauma, anxiety, OCD, shame, dissociation, relationship patterns or low self-worth overlap, and where careful formulation and pacing are important. She also works with people who have had previous therapy but still feel that something remains unresolved.
Her interest is not simply in helping clients understand why they feel the way they do, but in helping that understanding translate into meaningful change.
Understanding Suffering and Growth
Martha has extensive experience supporting people through significant psychological difficulties, including trauma, loss, anxiety, shame and difficult early experiences. She is interested in how people have learned to survive, adapt and cope, as well as in the patterns that may once have been helpful but are now causing difficulty.
Her doctoral research explored growth and resilience following trauma, which continues to influence her interest in how people make sense of adversity and how change can emerge following difficult experiences.
Attachment-Informed
Martha is particularly interested in how early relationships and experiences can shape how we see ourselves, relate to others and respond to stress later in life. Where relevant, therapy may explore patterns around trust, closeness, rejection, self-worth, boundaries and relationships.
She does not assume that every current difficulty comes from childhood, but where earlier experiences matter, they can be understood and worked with carefully.
Integrative and Individualised
EMDR is a central part of Martha’s current clinical practice, particularly when trauma or difficult earlier experiences continue to affect the present. Her work is primarily informed by EMDR, CBT, attachment and relational approaches, with parts-informed and compassion-focused ideas integrated where useful.
The aim is not to fit a person into a model, but to use psychological approaches thoughtfully in response to the individual.
Who Martha Often Works Well With
Martha works with people at many different stages, but she may be a particularly good fit for people who:
- are beginning to understand their difficulties and want help making sense of what is happening
- tend to think deeply about themselves and their relationships
- appear capable or high-functioning on the outside while struggling internally
- have experienced trauma, emotional neglect or difficult relationships
- find themselves repeating patterns they understand but cannot seem to shift
- want therapy that is warm and compassionate, but also active and purposeful
- are looking for depth without losing structure
Creating a Safe and Trusting Environment
Martha believes meaningful therapy requires enough safety for honesty, but also enough structure and challenge for change to happen.
She aims to provide a space that is compassionate and non-judgemental while also being curious, active and purposeful.
If something is not helping, it can be talked about and the work can be adapted.
Professional Experience
Martha’s experience spans NHS, forensic, charitable, academic and independent practice.
Her professional background includes:
current NHS work with severe and complex psychological presentations
Clinical Lead and Clinical Specialist roles within a psychological therapy charity
- implementing and supporting a CBT clinical pathway
- Associate Lecturer experience in CBT training
- extensive individual and group clinical supervision
- teaching and training therapists and other professionals
- national and international conference presentations
- published academic work and book chapters
She is also the founder of Ferrito Training & Consultancy, through which she provides clinical supervision, training and consultation to clinicians, teams and organisations.
Continuous Learning
Martha remains actively involved in clinical practice, supervision, training and professional development.
She has published in international journals, contributed to book chapters and presented at national and international conferences.
Ongoing learning continues to shape her work, particularly in trauma, EMDR, attachment, relational approaches and complex clinical practice.
Main Qualifications
- PhD in Psychology, University of Portsmouth
- MSc Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Buckinghamshire New University
- MSc Psychological Research Methods, University of Surrey
- Bachelor of Psychology (Hons), University of Malta
- EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner & Consultant
- BABCP Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist
- BABCP Accredited Supervisor
- SDS Advanced Accreditation in Clinical Supervision, Level 3, BPS Approved
- Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Counselling Skills, City, University of London
- Certificate in Mentalization-Based Therapy, Anna Freud Centre
Additional Training
My additional professional development includes training in:
- EMDR and complex trauma
- Mentalization-Based Therapy
- Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
- Parts-informed practice
- Psychodynamic approaches
- Third-wave CBT
- Trauma-informed practice
Professional Memberships
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- British Psychological Society (BPS) Chartered Clinical Psychologist (CPsychol) - Number: 231772
- EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner & Consultant - Number 170309
- British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) Accredited Cognitive and Behavioural Psychotherapist – Number: 130027
- BABCP accredited Supervisor
What Martha Hopes Therapy Offers
Martha’s aim is not simply to help clients understand themselves better, but to support change that feels meaningful in everyday life.
