Our Team
Martha Golden, PsyD
Founder & CEO, Whole Skills Coaching Licensed Psychologist Whole Skills Coach
I founded Whole Skills Coaching, LLC and created the Whole Skills curriculum to make proven, evidence-based emotional well-being skills accessible to everyone. The gratification of my professional life comes from witnessing the profound impact that emotional well-being skills have on people's lives.
My career began as a school teacher, though there in the classroom I felt a deep pull to assist students beyond academics. I decided to pursue more education myself, earning master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology, culminating in becoming a licensed psychologist and one of the first internationally DBT-Certified Clinicians™.
After teaching and coaching Skills for 25 years, I created Whole Skills Coaching to reach more people outside of the typical therapy setting. My hope is that these skills will guide you individually and/or your group to act skillfully, become more present, build resilience, engage effectively interpersonally, achieve more, and overall strengthen well-being and emotional intelligence. Whole Skills are practical and actionable. If you commit and practice, these skills will absolutely transform you and your life.
In addition to my face-to-face psychology practice in Durham, I am licensed to provide tele-health services across 39 states.
Sammy Banawan, PhD
Licensed Psychologist Whole Skills Coach
My mission is clear: to empower individuals and groups with the skills they need to navigate an increasingly complex world. As a freelance coach for Whole Skills Coaching, I leverage over two decades of experience in clinical psychology, including advanced training at Duke University Medical Center and my founding of Durham DBT, Inc.
Beyond my intensive DBT background, mindfulness is at the core of everything I teach—and live. As a certified mindfulness instructor under Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, I've seen firsthand how these practices unlock potential.
For 20 years, my partnership with Martha has been instrumental, as we've co-taught and coached skills weekly to thousands of young adults, witnessing profound shifts in emotional well-being. I wholeheartedly believe in Martha's vision for Whole Skills Coaching: to provide accessible, transformative tools far beyond traditional therapy. This is a vital, responsive initiative designed to help everyone become more effective and skilled in life.
Testimonials
“Martha stands out in how approachable and personable she is. Her humor, rapport, and lack of judgment make the Skills classes always feel welcoming. Martha’s knowledge and real-world examples of the application of Skills make the material easy to understand and implement.” -AE
“I am forever grateful to Martha Golden for teaching me these Skills because it has literally saved my life! She has such a passion for teaching Skills and does it with immense compassion and empathy and humor.” -J.M.
“With Martha, I always feel validated after sharing. She brings empathy, understanding and affirmation to skills classes.” -E.S.
“Martha leads with her strong empathy, outgoing and friendly nature, self-disclosing strategically, and teaching skills in a way that makes them memorable and understandable.” -J.H.
“Sammy leads Skills with a very laid back, easy going, and kind presence. He is funny and keeps the class lighthearted.” - E.R.
“Sammy is very thoughtful, says wise things, and gives a balanced perspective.” -J.H.
“Sammy is really validating and points-out when class participants use additional skills we might not even realize. He’s also funny and keeps things light.” -T.W.
“Martha has such a comforting, validating manner."-T.W.
“One of Sammy’s strengths is his relatability, always connecting skills to his own experiences in a way that feels normalizing.” -E.S.
“Sammy excels in prompting reflection and curating a safe space for the group sessions. He holds people accountable empathetically and non-judgmental way. His examples of problem-solving and application of the Skills are memorable and comprehensive.” - A.E.
“Martha and Sammy have a good working dynamic when teaching Skills. They complement each other very well. Martha excels in introducing and teaching Skills, and Sammy is good about relating Skills to real life situations.” - A.K.
“Sammy and Martha together as a team are absolutely incredible - they work together in a yin and yang balance. I cannot speak more highly of the two of them, there is not a better team.” -G.D.