Who We Are
Our Company Story
Co-founders Drena Fagen and Nadia Jenefsky share the origin story of New York Creative Therapists
In 2002, we met working as art therapists at an alternative justice program for youth in NYC. We developed a deep friendship and passion for our work, filling the time with talk and creative ideas between therapy sessions. After many years working for city agencies, we decided to do away with the red tape, frustrating lack of resources and understanding for our work, and took our services directly to the community. When we opened our doors in Williamsburg, people delighted in doing therapy in an art studio. They loved making art in the waiting room instead of reading tabloid magazines. They shared with us their frustrations with traditional talk therapy, and felt energized and excited about tackling issues in a hands-on way.
As the neighborhood community changed, we responded by adding child and family services (in 2005 our practice was exclusively with adults) and LGBTQ affirmative services. We also made the commitment to do what we could to remove socioeconomic barriers to mental health treatment. We joined some ACA health plans and created an internship program that allows us to offer low cost treatment while training the next generation of creative therapists. The increasing demand for services has expanded our reach into new neighborhoods and communities. We now serve between 250-300 clients per week and have 20 psychotherapists on staff, plus 5 graduate interns in our two locations: Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the Hudson Valley in Cold Spring. In 2018 we achieved our vision of having all of the creative arts therapies under one metaphoric roof: Art Therapy, Drama Therapy, Dance-Movement Therapy, Music Therapy and Expressive Therapy. We are the only practice in New York with a fully multi-modal staff.
We are attentive to the the need for accessible and affordable mental health services and are committed to reducing barriers to treatment: stigma, financial, socio-cultural, racial, and geographic. We recognize the need to address and challenge the white, euro-centric bias inherent in traditional psychotherapy, and are committed to opening up our field to more racially, socially and culturally competent models.
Our Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide effective psychotherapy in a nurturing and creative environment; to promote a healthy balance of work and play in our clients’ lives as well as our own; to advocate for equal access to the creative arts therapies for all.
Our therapy studios are creative labs for exploring life’s challenges.
New York Creative Therapists is a NYS professional corporation licensed to operate and practice psychotherapy—with a specialization in creative arts therapies. We are a team of therapists working collaboratively and integratively to help clients resolve emotional distress and achieve mental health. Since 2009, we have been at the forefront in trining new therapists and providing comprehensive creative arts therapy services to adults, children, families and agencies. We help people live happier, better connected, more productive lives by combining the arts with proven psychological treatment.
We know that everyone—regardless of race, social status, gender or sexual orientation—carries life experiences that are profound, confusing, and sometimes painful. We have found no better way to help people make sense of their stories, than inviting them to share them with a trusted and well-trained therapist. We are often humbled and moved by what our clients of all ages create, and this inspires us to continue to find new ways to bring our services to those who want and need therapeutic approaches that align with their values and style of learning.