Drena is a graduate of the Pratt Institute masters program in Creative Arts Therapy and the NYU School of Social Work. She is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at New York University in the Silver School of Social Work MSW program. Drena's approach combines art and talk therapy to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression related to current life challenges, childhood abuse, trauma, daily stress, and work-related burnout. She presents regularly on the problem of secondary and vicarious trauma in the helping professions. Drena recognizes the power of the creative process combined with cognitive-behavioral interventions in moving clients from "stuck" places that keep them from enjoying life fully. She holds an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design from the University of Florida. Her personal art runs the gamut from other-worldly abstract paintings to realistic portraits.
About Us
New York Creative Arts Therapists PLLC is a licensed provider of adult, child and family therapy using the arts.
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Nadia received her Masters in Art Therapy from Pratt Institute and her post-masters certificate in Child and Family Therapy from NYU. Her integrated use of artmaking, talk, narrative work, and humor has helped her clients come to terms with trauma, stress, relational and developmental issues. She also specializes in working with children, adults, couples and families dealing with ADHD. She is thrilled at the recent advances in neuroscientific research, and how this is informing new ways of using art and creativity to explore meaning, soothe the senses, and regulate emotions. In addition to a background in film and video, she has a special interest in women's autobiographical comics, and has been making her own cartoon art for over 15 years. Nadia also has extensive experience mentoring other therapists in their professional development, and is a visiting instructor at L'Atelier, a Masters level art therapy training program in Geneva, Switzerland, affiliated with the European Graduate School.
Lisette joined New York Creative Arts Therapists as a practicing art therapist and social worker. She obtained her masters degree in Art Therapy from NYU and her masters degree in Social Work from Hunter College. She continues to further her education through programs and trainings which keep her informed and inspired by current trends and developments in the field of psychotherapy. Lisette has extensive experience providing art therapy to children, families and adolescents in outpatient mental health clinics in New York City. Her expertise lies in working with families with histories of trauma, loss and separation. In her own private practice, Lisette worked with adult clients seeking to address interpersonal conflicts and resolve feelings of anxiety and depression. She believes that much deep and meaningful work can be can be achieved by exploring past and present relationships. Lisette has lived and traveled overseas and she speaks fluent Spanish. She is comfortable providing therapy to people of diverse cultures and orientations. In her spare time, and for her own self-care and exploration, Lisette paints and sculpts.
Mark is registered drama therapist and licensed creative arts therapist who has worked with children, adolescents and adults in various mental health settings. Mark is a passionate, astute clinician whose creative interventions support and encourage real change. He is a graduate of New York University. Mark co-authored a chapter on creative approaches to therapy in Engaging Boys in Treatment: Creative Approaches to the Therapy Process. Mark presents regularly on the importance of gender and sexual-orientation sensitivity in psychotherapy. He is also the current Eastern Region Representative for the National Association for Drama Therapy (NADT). When not seeing clients in our Williamsburg office, Mark serves as Director of the Livingston Street Clinic of Community Counseling and Mediation in downtown Brooklyn.
Rebecca Rubin received a Masters degree in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusettes. She has joined our team as the coordinator and primary therapist for our In-Home Foster Care therapy program working with children, teens, and their caregivers in Queens and Brooklyn. As an ‘Intermodalist’, Rebecca interweaves creative modalities such as visual arts, music, story-telling, movement, drama, poetry/narrative writing, and performance art with clients. Rebecca specializes in addressing a variety of concerns with clients including trauma, loss/bereavement, depression, anxiety, anger, self-esteem, and behavioral/developmental issues. She believes that the creative arts build resilience and provide a space where young people can feel safe and empowered to express their feelings. She also has a special interest in teaching young people about using the creative arts for activism. In addition to her work at New York Creative Arts Therapists, Rebecca is the Program Supervisor for Margaret’s Place: a school-based violence intervention and prevention program. She is co-chair of the NYC Healthy Teen Relationships Coalition, and has presented at a number of conferences on the use of the creative arts in therapeutic work with youth. Rebecca holds a BA in Child Development from Tufts University and a BM in Contemporary Improvisation-Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory of Music. She continues to be engaged in writing and recording music, poetry/spokenword, and art activism.
