Maureen has experienced the following symptoms:
- Anger
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Exhaustion
- Fear
- Flashbacks
- Frequent colds
- Hyper-vigilance
- Imaginary ailments
- Irritability
- Isolation
- Loneliness
- Migraines/Headaches
- Nervousness
- Nightmares
- Racing thoughts
- Sense of impending doom
- Shame/guilt
- Sleep disturbance
- Stomach problems
- Stress
- Worry
Biography
Maureen Martens knows how difficult life can be with anxiety, abuse, and addiction. She also knows the freedom of having overcome these debilitating conditions. Maureen lived in an alcoholic environment where she learned not to think, feel, or trust. She was sexually molested as a child and often felt afraid and withdrawn, and isolated. She escaped her troubles through daydreaming and reading books. She saw herself as unlovable, worthless, and different from her peers.
Through childhood, adolescence and into adulthood, she suffered a wide range of recurring and persistent anxiety symptoms, including difficulty concentrating and remembering, frequent colds, dysthymia (low-grade depression), nervousness, hyper-vigilance, and anxiety as well as terrible nightmares and flashbacks.
At a young age, Maureen entered into a marriage that became increasingly unhealthy and dysfunctional. Drinking became a normal part of their socializing and eventually the effects of this lifestyle became a serious issue in their relationship. She began to binge drink to medicate her anxiety symptoms and find temporary relief from the reality of this abusive situation. She experienced great personal shame and self-loathing. At times she would imagine herself as a victim of an undiagnosed, life-threatening illness. At one point in her life, she was so anxious that she could hardly form a sentence, and she was convinced that she had a brain tumour. Doctors found nothing medically wrong and suggested counselling. She believed she was a hopeless case, but she eventually sought counseling and began the process of healing and reclaiming her life. She and her spouse divorced after 27 years of marriage.
Maureen continued her healing process and experienced the fruits of good counselling and personal recovery. Six years after her divorce, Maureen remarried and experienced a wonderful, loving relationship with her new husband. After only a year and a half of marriage, her husband had a stroke that led to a swift decline in his mental and physical health (including the beginnings of dementia and the progression of his Parkinson's Disease). Maureen again began to suffer symptoms of stress, including sleep difficulty, fear, anger, isolation, and irritability associated with caregiver burnout. When her husband could no longer walk or function mentally at home, she had to make the very difficult and painful decision to place him in a care home where she visited him almost every day before he passed away four years later. As she watched him fade away before her eyes, Maureen experienced the sadness and stress associated with anticipatory grieving, with feelings of anger, guilt, loneliness, isolation, and fatigue. She became a widow after eight and a half years of marriage. Fortunately, during this time she was able to utilize the tools, strategies, and supports that she had garnered over the years to get through that difficult time, and as a result she avoided becoming immobilized, as she had during previous difficult times.
Maureen has worked in the health sector for 15 years, mainly supervising and managing addictions services as well as providing individual and group counselling. Since 2004, she has owned and operated, Hardie & Associates Counselling Services, a private practice in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
Maureen is responsible for the development of the core Alcohol and Drug Education Program for the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology (SIIT) and the Core Gambling Program Module for Chemical Dependency Workers Program at Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), and she co-developed and co-facilitated a self-awareness and life-skill program for women at Pinegrove Correctional Centre in Prince Albert, SK. In addition, she has developed and taught several classes for the private and public sector. She also provides basic practicum supervision for the William Glasser Institute.
Maureen has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Saskatchewan (with great distinction); a Bachelor of Education from the University of Saskatchewan (with distinction); a Diploma in Chemical Dependency Studies (SIAST); and a Master's in Arts in Christian Ministry, majoring in Marriage and Family Counselling (Briercrest Seminary). She is Reality Therapy Certified and a faculty member with the William Glasser Institute. She is also an International Certified Alcohol and Drug Counsellor (ICADC). In addition, she is trained as a life-skill coach.
Maureen is a member of:
• American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT)
• Professional Association of Canadian Christian Counsellors (PACCC)
• Canadian Association of Counsellors Certification Federation (CACCF)
• William Glasser Institute (WGI)
Maureen offers hope and assistance to all who suffer from anxiety, various forms of abuse, loss, addiction, and other painful experiences. Because she has been there, too, she knows it is possible to break free from the chains that hold one captive, to end the suffering and despair once and for all, and to enjoy a life of peace, happiness, and fulfillment—even in difficult situations.
Maureen recently married her husband Gordon, a widower and rancher. The couple lives happily in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, and attends The Church of the Open Bible (affiliated with the Associated Gospel Churches). They are grateful for the support they and their family members have received in the midst of the loss of their young granddaughter in a tragic drowning accident in January 2010. |
