HVCH is pleased to welcome Martin Hammar, LISW-S, Licensed Independent Social Worker, to our Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic. He received his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from Ohio University. He has been a licensed social worker since 1990 and is credentialed to supervise other licensed social workers who require post graduate supervision toward their independent licensure status.
Martin’s work history includes Columbus Area Community Mental Health Center in Columbus from 1990 to 1996. He served as an Older Adult Case Manager working with elderly clients in the community who were experiencing a severe and persistent mental illness (SPMI), requiring assistance navigating the complexities of health and social service needs. Following this, he spent several years working in their Crisis Services drop-in clinic.
His career path took him to Tri-County Mental Health & Counseling Services (TCMHCS) and he served at Hopewell Health Centers (HHC) for 26 ½ years. Positions included Adult Community Psychiatric Support Treatment (ACPST) Team Leader in Logan, providing both direct services and supervising a small staff of ‘case managers’ serving adults with an SPMI diagnosis, as well as Health Officer for Tri-Co/Hopewell through the Athens/Hocking/Vinton Alcohol Drug-addiction & Mental Health (ADAMH) Board. There he completed probate prescreens for adults and minors who were referred for evaluation of lethality issues attributed to a mental illness or impairment.
Additionally, Martin assisted in establishing the Hocking County Housing Coalition in 2005, the first Homeless Point-In-Time surveys in Hocking County;Â co-authored the first 10-year Plan to end homelessness for Hocking County;Â and presented on rural homelessness at the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) conference in Washington DC.
He transferred to administration becoming the Integration Operations Coordinator for HHC after the merger of TCMHCS and Family Healthcare in 2013. Among other responsibilities, he worked to establish the Outreach & Enrollment Program at HHC and recruited a staff of Certified Application Counselors (CAC) when the ACA Health Insurance Marketplace opened in 2014. As a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist, he was involved with Tobacco-Free Ohio Alliance (TOFA) advocating for tobacco cessation programs and policies to address tobacco related health issues.
He then served as the Athens ACPST Director for HHC from 2015 thru 2022, providing clinical supervision for ACPST teams and other programs including a Generalist, Geriatric/Medically Fragile, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), supportive employment, peer support, payeeship assistance, and residential support. He has also provided counseling for individuals incarcerated at Southeast Ohio Regional Jail and is a representative for HHC on the Suicide Prevention Coalition through A/H/V ADAMH Board. He presently serves on the board of Hocking Hills Inspire Shelter.
Martin’s clinical skills include using trauma informed care with cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT), motivational-interviewing toward better health practices, harm-reduction approaches to mitigate the adverse impact of maladaptive behaviors, solution-focused interventions utilizing a patient’s inherent strengths and capabilities, assessment and management of suicide risk, and counseling on access to lethal means to treat individuals referred for crisis intervention services. Currently, he is training to become an EMDR therapist for treatment of PTSD and other forms of human distress connected to trauma. Hammar’s practice primarily serves adults, treating patients age 16 years and older and is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, please call the HVCH Outpatient Psychiatry Clinic at 740-380-8410.