FEATURED IN:
Trauma Therapy Beyond Traditional Talk Therapy
Trauma affects the way you think, feel, relate to others, and move through everyday life. You might feel emotionally numb, disconnected from yourself, constantly on edge, overwhelmed by certain reactions, or stuck in patterns that don’t fully make sense.
Trauma-informed art therapy offers a more experiential approach to healing for adults who feel like words alone haven’t fully reached what they’ve been carrying. Through creative and body-aware therapeutic work, sessions create space to process difficult experiences without needing to relive every detail.
What Is Trauma-Informed Art Therapy?
Trauma-informed art therapy combines creative expression with trauma-focused care in a way that feels collaborative, grounded, and emotionally safe. Sessions may include drawing, painting, collage, writing, guided imagery, or reflective exercises that help explore emotions, reactions, memories, and patterns that can be difficult to fully access through conversation alone.
This approach recognizes that trauma often impacts both the mind and body. Art therapy can help externalize internal experiences, reduce emotional overwhelm, increase self-awareness, and support emotional regulation in a more active and integrative way than traditional talk therapy alone.
You don't need artistic skill or experience to benefit from art therapy.
Who Trauma-Informed Art Therapy Can Help
Trauma-informed art therapy may be a good fit if you:
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Feel emotionally overwhelmed, numb, disconnected, or constantly on alert
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Experience anxiety, panic, emotional dysregulation, or shutdown responses
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Have a history of trauma, neglect, chronic stress, or difficult family dynamics
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Feel stuck in emotional patterns that continue affecting relationships or daily life
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Want an approach that goes beyond traditional talk therapy
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Struggle to put certain emotions or experiences into words
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Prefer a slower, more body-aware pace to processing difficult experiences
Sessions are available virtually for adults and young adults throughout New York State, including NYC, Westchester, Long Island, Orange County, and Upstate New York.
What to Expect in Sessions
Sessions are personalized and paced around your comfort level and emotional capacity. Some sessions may involve creating artwork, while others focus more on reflection, grounding exercises, writing, processing emotions, or noticing how stress and trauma show up physically in the body.
You’ll always have choice and collaboration throughout the process. The work creates space to slow down, explore internal experiences more deeply, and reconnect with parts of yourself that may have felt difficult to access for a long time.
Many clients find that art therapy helps them access emotions, memories, and internal experiences that felt difficult to fully reach through talking alone.
How Trauma-Informed Art Therapy Can Help
Calm Emotional Overwhelm
Creative and body-aware approaches can help reduce chronic emotional activation, tension, anxiety, and stress held in the body.
Process Experiences Beyond Words Alone
Art therapy can help externalize emotions, memories, and reactions that may feel difficult to fully explain verbally.
Reconnect With Yourself
Over time, clients often begin feeling more emotionally aware, grounded, connected to themselves, and less stuck in survival mode.
Support Emotional Regulation
Trauma-informed approaches can strengthen your ability to recognize triggers, navigate emotions, and respond to stress differently in everyday life.
Specialized Therapy for Anxiety, Trauma & Burnout
Hi! I'm Attiya Awadallah, LCAT, ATR-BC, a licensed trauma and anxiety therapist providing virtual therapy across New York State.
I specialize in EMDR, art therapy, somatic approaches, and evidence-based treatment for anxiety, trauma, burnout, and complex PTSD.
My approach is collaborative, active, and tailored to your goals, helping you process difficult experiences, strengthen emotional resilience, and create lasting change.
With more than 10 years of experience across inpatient, outpatient, addiction treatment, and community mental health settings, I bring both clinical expertise and compassion to every session.
