About Nicholas Martin
I will, with some reluctance, share a little about myself by way of biographical background, only because I’ve been asked and because it may be of interest to the reader. I was born in England in 1951 and came to the U.S. as a five-year old in 1956. I grew up in a variety of cities up and down the east coast, following my father as he established himself as a physician, first in Baltimore, then Boston then Washington, D.C. Then it was my turn. I went to college in Philadelphia then graduate school in Hartford, and then on to my first professional position, which was a staff psychologist in juvenile corrections in Virginia.
After that, I moved quite a few times over the years, working as a counselor in outpatient mental health, and then branching off into self employment as a conflict resolution consultant. As such, my work has involved mediation, facilitation, and especially training, primarily in the area of parent-school relationships in support of children with special needs. I tend to “move in the direction of need,” which has underscored many of the choices I have made in terms of program and resources development. Always high on the list of requested topics has been conflict prevention and resolution, and this has become the mainstay of my work, along with its more positive alternative, which is collaboration and team building.
I have been very fortunate to have had a number of my books published, including: Supporting the IEP Process – A Facilitator’s Guide; A Guide to Collaboration for IEP Teams; An Operator's Manual for Successful Living; and Strengthening Relationships When Our Children Have Special Needs.
In 2003, I began an intensive study of Spanish so as to be able to offer services to the many Hispanic families that are language-challenged, and I occasionally develop programs, translate materials, and provide training in Spanish. In my free time, I do quite a bit of creative writing, and some of my work, both professional and otherwise, is available through Amazon.