Harold Malin

Welcome to my practice at Headway! I'm Harold Martin Malin, PhD, MA, LMFT. Most of the people I work with call me Marty. I'm looking forward to meeting you and working with you around concerns you believe are important to your life.

I am a California Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (CA LMFT39231) with a master's degree in psychology and a doctorate in sexology. I have worked extensively in private practice and in County Behavioral Health clinics, both as a therapist and a supervisor. I have also worked in a hospital-based clinic at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and in public schools and other institutional settings including prisons and juvenile halls.

As part of my practice, I have published extensively about sexual issues. I have a special interest in working with people who struggle with issues related to gender experience, sexual practices and orientations outside the mainstream, LGBTQIA+ concerns, and disorders of sex development (DSD or intersex). I view any of those concerns as potential stumbling blocks—without judgment from me—that can give rise to difficulty in relationships with oneself, marriage or partnering, and family dynamics including parenting. And, of course, it's common for sexual concerns to be a part of the work on trauma, abuse, substance misuse, anxiety and depression and obsessive or compulsive behaviors.

I also have experience working with patients who have medically related mental health concerns, including post-surgical patients whose physical functioning is compromised and those with head trauma and brain injury.

In all, I have more than 30 years experience working professionally with people of all ages — singles, couples, traditional and intentional families — and supervising other licensed professionals and interns. I would welcome the opportunity to work with you.

Therapy is a journey we take together. You get to choose where we go. My job is to help you get there. That might involve setting goals, clarifying things that are unclear, provide encouragement and help you discover new tools that contribute to your success. My approach to working with people in therapy is to meet them where they are, help them formulate goals, and marshal the tools to help them meet their objectives. There are many theoretical orientations and philosophies, techniques and treatment aids which every therapist learns about in school and masters on the job. The best ones are the ones that work for you.

At our first meeting, I will want to hear a little about your life story. What's going well for you? What's not going so well? Out first meeting should be a gentle introduction to each other. Of course there are a few formalities but by the time we end our session you should feel heard, safe and respected. You should know you are in the right place. You should feel you are in good hands.