Shahla Nikpour

My approach to individual and group therapy utilizes approaches of mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, and traditional psychodynamic principles. Creative Arts Therapy utilizes the principles and techniques of different art forms such as music, art, dance, theater, and creative writing to improve communication, open emotional expression, enhance social and cognitive functioning in people. The goal of creative arts therapy is like traditional therapy, to begin to build a therapeutic relationship, while fostering a “safe environment” for creative expression. The use of different artistic mediums also allows the client to have a sense of space to express him or herself in a much less threatening way than traditional verbal psychotherapy. Creative arts therapy allows me to contact the most primary and basic core of who you are. The possibility of creative arts therapy is endless and expansive in my work with children, adolescents, and adults.

I work from a place of advocacy in communities that have many services missing. I am currently a consultant for a new non-for profit 300 Letters helping families heal from having parents incarcerated. I have worked for 10 years in the New York City Mental Health system and I have extensive experience in working in crisis. I believe that crisis interventions in our communities need more support and focus to avoid negative outcomes for people. I work and continue to educate myself in social injustice and feminism issues.