Veteran, United States Air Force

Doctoral Student, Clinical Psychology (APA Accredited), Fielding Graduate University

Email: rickki.martinez@outlook.com

About Rickki Martinez:

Rickki Martinez is a U.S. Air Force veteran and doctoral student in Fielding Graduate University's APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program. She brings a unique, nontraditional background to the field of psychology, starting her career as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) providing dementia-focused home health care, then serving in the military as a Personnel Specialist (HR), where she also received numerous military awards. After the military, she continued working in human resources, organizational consulting, and talent development for over 15 years. 

Rickki earned her Bachelor of Science in Technical Management and Health Services Management, and later completed a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Clinical Psychology at Fielding before entering the doctoral program. While still in her doctoral program, Rickki was recently recognized for academic excellence and inducted into Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology. Moreover, she currently serves as a Doctoral Extern- Therapist at a local community mental health center, where she provides evidence-based psychotherapy under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. Rickki also contributes to the education of future psychologists through her role as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for a doctoral statistics course at Fielding.

Rickki remains dedicated to research as a Doctoral Research Assistant in Dr. Kristine Jacquin's forensic psychology and neuropsychology doctoral lab. Her research centers on psychological trauma, with particular attention to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth, and extends to disaster preparedness, technology-facilitated sexual violence, and resilience. To date, Rickki has been the first author on four research presentations and co-author on three others, all of which were presented at national conferences, including the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the American College of Forensic Psychology.

As an active student affiliate of several psychological associations, Rickki is committed to advancing evidence-based practice through clinical training, research, teaching, and community service. Her clinical approach is guided by each client's unique needs and cultural context while integrating evidence-based interventions when appropriate. Her professional interests include trauma, psychological and neuropsychological assessment, neurodevelopmental conditions, and integrative psychotherapy. As she continues her doctoral training, Rickki aspires to become a licensed clinical psychologist dedicated to improving access to high-quality mental health care for veterans and their families, autistic individuals, people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other populations that may experience barriers to care.