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Meet Santa

Santa Molina-Marshall is a Clinical Licensed Holistic Psychotherapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, who has been in the field of trauma and sexual violence since 1990. She has been working with clients in-person and online in the Maryland, District of Columbia, and Virginia for over 30 years. She is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in 9 different states across the United States.

Santa Molina-Marshall in green jacket and white top smiling

In April 2014, she was awarded the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers, 2014 Visionary Voice Award, for her outstanding work in the field of anti-sexual violence within her community.

For eight years she held the position of Director of Counseling and Advocacy at the DC Rape Crisis Center, where she directed the Center’s counseling program; provided individual and group counseling; and supervised all clinical staff and graduate social work students.  Prior to her employment with the Center Ms. Molina; served as “Lifeline for Kids” Project Coordinator for the Center for Adoption Support and Education, Inc.; she worked as an Adoptions/Subsidy Social Worker for the Child and Family Services Agency, in Washington, DC; and served as Clinical Director at Sanctuary for Families, Inc., a domestic violence organization in New York City.

Presently, she manages her private practice in Washington, DC and is a national and international speaker on Women, Trauma, Mindfulness, Grief and Loss, Compassion Fatigue, Neurobiology of Trauma, and other topics. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Santa specializes on issues of loss and grief, bereavement, and adult and childhood sexual abuse. She has been providing services to the community for the last 35 years. She has developed a holistic approach to addressing the needs of survivors of trauma that encompass addressing the body, mind, and spirit. Ms. Molina-Marshall is a compassionate, dedicated clinician and administrator.

Her new book, Running Through Darkness: Memoir of a Spiritual Warrior, “From Trauma to Triumph” – serves as a healing manual, guiding readers to move from trauma to triumph, and reclaim their divine birthright to be whole, happy, joyous and free!

Meet King Jordan & Prince Duke

 Jordan, is my12 pounds and 12 years old beige/tan Yorkie-Poo.  He came to my life 12 years ago and it was love at first sight.  So sweet, tender and in need of gentle loving care.  Just like me he loves lounging, going for walks and bathing in the sun.  When I need to feel love or love, he is the perfect living being, always ready to cuddle and express excitement about being with me. Now, if I can un-teach him how to fetch,  all would be perfect between Jordan and I.  Jordan has an obsessive personality, tends to be a bully at times, and is very persistent, especially when it comes to fetching.  Good for him, I am a Therapist.  Until Duke came into the the family, my 65 pound mixed breed – puppy, now 4 years old – recused from  Puerto Rican, Jordan was just Jordan, now he is King Jordan.  Although he loves his dog sibling, he does not fail to prove he is the King. 

Warning:  Be careful what you teach your dog!

Jordan and duke - Santa's two dog helpers

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022