Skip to content

Fort Collins Therapist, Marty J. Rein, Ph.D., M.Ed., LPC, CAS

I believe effective counseling is influenced by the therapeutic relationship. The ability to connect and feel compassion without being judgmental is a key factor in successful counseling. That being said, I have had extensive life experience as a counselor, professional musician, and teacher. I use my clinical skills in concert with my life experience to provide the most productive counseling possible. I feel that my job is to “work myself out of a job” with my clients.

After finishing my Master’s degree, I worked at an overseas residential treatment facility while continuing to work on my Ph.D. Living on a small island in the South Pacific was exhilarating, but then again, I love to travel. Throughout my life, I have worked all over the country and the world.

After returning from overseas, I continued work on and complete my Doctorate in 2011. Through my experience, I had become very interested in the family aspect of addictions. My interdisciplinary degree included complimentary work in the Human Development and Family Studies Department where I obtained training in family and couples therapy. I consider it an honor help families and couples navigate relational difficulties that occur in the early in their co-recovery process.

As a Fort Collins therapist, I have worked with adolescents and adults experiencing an array of concerns. Most of my work has been with substance use difficulties and the co-occurring conditions that accompany and/or influence substance use issues. At the beginning, my goal was not to be a substance use specialist, however, that’s where my path has led me. My experience includes work persons who are experiencing issues with addiction, ADD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, Asperger’s Syndrome, bi-polar, self-esteem, grief & loss, and relationship difficulties.

I approach the counseling relationship from a perspective of “meaning making,” which suggests that people act on what they believe about situations, not the situation itself. This idea prompted me to conduct my doctoral research on influences of alcohol use coming from a constructivist lens. I developed a screening instrument that assesses a person’s influences of alcohol use over a biopsychosocial spectrum. A biopsychosocial point of view aids me in helping people from a holistic perspective. Looking at the “whole” person is an essential strategy to provide my clients the best possible help they are seeking.

My education:

  • Ph.D. in Education and Human Resource Studies with an Interdisciplinary focus on Human Development and Family Studies
  • Master’s in Education and Human Resource Studies with a focus on Community Counseling
  • Bachelor of Music with a focus in Music Education

My credentials:

  • Licensed Professional Counselor
  • Certified Addiction Specialist
  • Licensed Professional Teacher K-12 Music

Professional affiliations:

  • American Society of Addiction Medicine
  • American Counseling Association
  • American Education Research Association
  • National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors
  • Denver Musicians Association

Couples & Family Therapy

RTCC counselors can provide Fort Collins mental health services to address communication issues and conflict management with couples and families. Emotionally Focused techniques, the theory of Virginia Satir, Structural Family Theory, Adlerian, and Gottman Method Couple’s Therapy are employed by our counselors to help clients through their difficulties. For most people in a relationship, conflict is an expected part of the dynamics between two people as their relationship evolves. Examining communication patterns which work, as well as those that do not work or harm the relationship can be essential to the survival of the couple. Managing conflict is one of the keys to a successful relationship as is recognition of destructive influences. Exploration of the couple’s communication patterns, working towards mutual goals, and creating a shared meaning are all essential to the health of the relationship. RTCC counselors have experience in working with couples who are non-traditional as well as traditional and we welcome couples from any nationality or orientation.

Contact Me

Trauma

Recovery from trauma is a complicated process which can cause many people to feel overwhelmed, disconnected, isolated and helpless as they try to come to terms with their traumatic experience. For some, hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, nightmares, and avoidance of certain situations are a direct result of the trauma. Recovery can be even more complex if the traumatic experience happened in childhood. It is imperative that clients have a safe, trusting and supportive environment in which to work through their trauma. RTCC counselors endeavor to create optimally therapeutic relationships with their clients and employ a variety of techniques to instill hope for the client and to empower him or her on the path to recovery.  Our counselors utilize a comprehensive array of approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, emotion regulation, stress management techniques, self-soothing, grounding, and mindfulness, to help clients with the healing and recovery process.

Contact Me

Anxiety

For clients who experience anxiety, life can be a troublesome and turmoil-filled experience. Anxiety can be experienced in a number of ways: Generalized Anxiety (constant fears or worries as you go through the day), Panic Attacks (an unexpected occurrence), Phobias (an unrealistic fear of an activity, situation, or object), Social Anxiety (unease about being in social situations or what others might be thinking about you), and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD occurs in the wake of traumatic or life-threatening event and can often include flashbacks or night terrors. People who suffer from PTSD often fall prey to substance use disorders in order to cope with their symptoms.

An anxiety attack can be a traumatizing experience in itself, causing worry or apprehension of the next attack. RTCC counselors will compassionately assist clients with their anxiety and encourage them to utilize relaxation and stress management techniques, recognize the importance of self-care, build confidence and self-esteem, and practice mindfulness and emotional regulation. Exploration of the roots of the anxiety will also be incorporated into treatment in order raise awareness and, hopefully, normalize the presenting situation. The counseling approach will be to focus on the ability to utilize coping skills in the moment to manage the symptoms of the anxiety.

Contact Me

Depression

According to recent National Institute of Mental Health statistics, 17% of the population will experience major depression during their life time. For many people, depression is situational and can be addressed with brief therapy; however, for others it can be an ongoing struggle requiring longer term care and support. RTCC counselors utilize a holistic approach to address a client’s struggle with depression, whether it is situational or clinical, including discussions about meaning making, gender issues, societal influences, diet and exercise, supplements, spirituality, and family of origin concerns.

Persons who are prescribed medications for depression are often saddled with the task of monitoring the continued effectiveness of those medications. The patience and persistence required of a depressed person as they go through the process of finding the right medication with their psychiatrist or doctor can, and often does, exacerbate the depression. RTTC can provide support and encouragement as the person endeavors to address their depression with the correct medication.

Contact Me

Aftercare Support

RTCC counselors recognize that clients who have completed a Residential Treatment Program or Intensive Outpatient Program for substance abuse issues are extremely vulnerable to relapse. Clients will benefit with support to create a comprehensive support system including recovery support groups, referrals to other medical and community services, and individual therapy with a therapist familiar with addiction and recovery. With this in mind, RTCC counselors provide a comprehensive program of services to assist the client with the transition back into “everyday life.” Entering a new life after treatment can be frightening and overwhelming. When a person is in a fearful state, he/she is less likely to make recovery sustaining decisions. We will look at things from a “challenge vs. support” lens to help the client learn to hold themselves accountable, to utilize the coping strategies they have learned from their treatment experience, and also add “tools” to their tool box.

The family system is highly valuable to the client in recovery as their inner circle of support. RTCC counselors provide family and couple therapy specific to clients seeking recovery to help those close to the client to tease out the subtle differences between supportive and enabling behaviors. Clients are encouraged to continue to build a circle of support outside of the family which is also an important part of the process of recovery.

Contact Me

Co-occurring Disorders

Many clients who face difficulties with substance use also have an underlying mental health concern such as depression, anxiety, bi-polar disorder, trauma, or ADHD. RTCC counselors recognize the importance of assessing each client for these underlying concerns and treating the issues concurrently. With compassion and encouragement, we utilize a strengths based, cognitive behavioral perspective to explore how thinking patterns can get in the way of recovery from depression and anxiety as well as cause people to utilize substances as a way to manage their symptoms.

Contact Me

Substance Abuse

RTCC counselors utilize Motivational Interviewing and strengths-based techniques to serve our clients with substance abuse issues. We provide a safe, supportive environment in which our clients can talk about their substance concerns and explore their willingness to make change from a biopsychosocial perspective. We recognize that each person’s path through the change process is unique and we will draw from other perspectives such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Reality Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy as needed to assist our clients with their goals.

Often times, substance abuse issues are experienced with an array of other co-occurring disorders such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and/or grief and loss. Our counselors are well equipped to create a positive therapeutic alliance with our clients in order to provide treatment to the “whole” person.

Contact Me

R-BIBSI Biopsychosocial Assessment

The purpose of this mixed-methods applied study was to develop a reliable, valid, and clinically useful brief integrative biopsychosocial assessment screening instrument (R-BIBSI) to investigate influences of alcohol abuse and dependence in college age students. The R-BIBSI is a 30-item, non-diagnostic, brief screening tool developed to aid drug and alcohol treatment professionals in treatment planning for persons experiencing substance abuse or dependence. The R-BIBSI is easily be scored by clinical or non-clinical staff to assess six constructs of alcohol use influence: Biological Influence, Psychological Internally Expressed Influence, Psychological Externally Expressed Influence, Social Family Influence, Social Peer/Work Environmental Influence, and Social Cultural Influence. Item reduction processes included a think-aloud form of cognitive interviewing, predictive validity testing utilizing independent samples t-test, and exploratory factor analysis. Validation and reliability testing for the BIBSI field-test utilized a convenience sample of 63 college age students.

Biopsychosocial Assessment

The R-BIBSI can be an extremely useful tool, especially for raising awareness of a client’s biopsychosocial influences to help guide the therapeutic conversation. The R-BIBSI can also be utilized as a valuable method for addiction counselor training.

Please contact me for more information on access and utilization of the R-BIBSI.

R-BIBSI Download
Contact Me