About Martina
Martina is an experienced psychotherapist & counsellor with over 18 years’ clinical practice. She works with adults, couples, families, parents and adolescents who want to better understand themselves and their relationships—and create meaningful change.
Drawing on Bowen Family Systems Theory, Martina helps clients see the emotional patterns that shape the way we think, feel and respond, particularly in our closest relationships. Together, you can begin to recognise what drives reactivity, reduce emotional intensity, and develop greater clarity, flexibility and choice.
Martina brings a warm, thoughtful and relational approach to therapy, informed by extensive experience across youth mental health, alcohol and drug services, and LGBTQIA+ community work. She is a clinical family therapist & mental health social worker with postgraduate training
Martina also provides clinical supervision for mental health clinicians, teams and leaders, supporting practitioners to think more clearly about complex clinical and relational dynamics, strengthen their practice, and develop their capacity to work effectively under pressure.
She is a Principal Trainer and Faculty Member at The Family Systems Institute, where she teaches the Advanced Certificate in Couples and Family Systems Therapy (AAFT accredited).
Alongside her clinical work, Martina has more than 20 years’ experience in contemplative practices including yoga and meditation. She has published and presented widely on family systems theory, bringing together rigorous clinical thinking with a deep interest in awareness, relationships and human change.
Publications
Palombi, M. (2024). Borderline Personality Disorder: a symptom of the family system. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy.
Palombi, M. (2018). From Gestalt Therapy to Family Systems: How Theoretical Frameworks Inform Clinical Applications. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy.
Palombi, M. (2016). Separations: A Personal Account of Bowen Family Systems Theory. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy.