"A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person."

~Mignon McLaughlin

"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years." ~Simone Signoret

"Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand in hand."

~Emily Kimbrough

"More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse."

~Doug Larson

"The heart has its reasons that reason knows nothing of."

~Blaise Pascal

"Love doesn't sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; remade all of the time, made new."

~Ursula K. Le Guin

"Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own."

~Robert Heinlein

"Without love, what are we worth? Eighty-nine cents! Eighty-nine cents worth of chemicals walking around lonely."

~Laurence Marks

"The art of love... is largely the art of persistence."

~Albert Ellis

"The most critical factor in our ultimate happiness and success is the quality of our relationships. Since most relationships are less than creative, most can be improved upon."

~Wendy

Founder of Creative Relationship Center

Lesley Martin, LMHC, NCC, MA

Leslie1 497x640

Lesley is a therapist with the Creative Relationship Center. She is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who specializes in working with individuals, children, and families who have experienced trauma. She holds a Masters' degree in Mental Health Counseling from Medaille College and also has a certificate in Trauma Counseling from the UB School of Social Work. In addition, she has completed basic training in EMDR. Lesley has been working in the field for over six years and has contributed to the empowerment and strengthening of individuals, children, and families in the community. At the Creative Relationship Center, she works with clients on an individual basis, as well as being a group facilitator. Some of her groups include support for children surviving divorce and youth leadership programs. Lesley also provides on-site crisis debriefting services for corporate clients, EAPs, and other organizations in the community. Previously, Lesley worked as a Multisystemic Therapist (MST) with youth involved in the the Juvenile Justice system. She engaged families to create behavior change to prevent at-risk youth from out of home placement and worked collaboratively with the child's school, peer, legal, and support systems. She also has experience doing Art Therapy with adults recovering from mental illness and/or substance use issues. Prior to being a Mental Health Counselor, she was the Art Director for a non-profit organization specializing in translation of spiritual texts, having completed her undergraduate studies in Contemplative Religions. With that background, she is also available for counseling on spiritual issues or concerns.