Shira Adams (she/her)

LPC, NCC
Accepting Clients

I'm so glad you're here. I'm Shira, a queer creative trauma therapist in Philly. Let's chat!

Therapist in Pennsylvania

Services
  • Individual
  • Couples
  • Adolescent/Teen
  • Group

About My Clients

Often the heavy, overwhelming, messiness of life has no place to go. We continue bearing through it, disconnecting, hiding, and feeling awful. I offer an authentic, cozy space to settle in, explore, learn, feel, and ultimately heal. Your internal chaos is welcomed here. Let's sort through it together.

My Background and Approach

I have a background in visual art and theater that I integrated into my practice as a therapist. Creative approaches to therapy have been proven to activate more parts of the brain, increase embodiment, and reduce inhibition in treatment. This can produce profound integrative change that you deserve. My approach to care mixes evidence based practices like EMDR and TF-CBT with mindfulness techniques, mind-body attunement exercises, and self-compassion skill building. Together, we will identify goals that prioritize growth and healing at a pace that is manageable for you and your nervous system. Our journey may include art, movement, meditations, music, creative writing, and a lot of meaningful reflection. Each path looks different and is guided by your unique needs! Clients have called our sessions warm, affirming, transformative, and with space for laughter along the way.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

I'm a queer, neurodivergent, survivor of trauma, with chronic pain. I have experienced and witnessed how systems fail us. Injustice, inadequate support, and cycles of harm are often normalized and perpetuated. This can feel insurmountable. This can be confusing and feel like your responsibility, mistake, or burden. I believe that in these societal conditions, acts of self-care and healing are powerful, freeing, and radical. I know seeking help takes bravery. I believe in trusting your gut, taking up space, tending to your needs, unmasking, setting boundaries, and building self- compassion. I believe that we interrupt and dismantle cycles of harm in connection. Together with snacks, blankets, fur babies, stretching, ice packs, fresh air, and doodling, we can make lasting care-full change. Let's get to work!

Techniques I Use

Specialties
Culturally Sensitive Therapy Expressive Art Therapy Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Other Techniques
  • Attachment Theory
  • Family Systems
  • Feminist Therapy
  • Harm Reduction Therapy
  • Holistic Therapy
  • Narrative Therapy
  • Psychodrama
  • Relational Therapy
  • Somatic Therapy: Body-Based Healing for Emotional Trauma
  • Person-Centered (Rogerian)
  • Integrative Therapy
  • Internal Family Systems
  • Trauma Therapy
  • Relationship Counseling
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Issues I Treat

Specialties
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Self-Esteem Sexual Abuse or Assault
Other Issues
  • Abuse
  • Adoption Issues
  • Anxiety
  • Attachment
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder
  • Body Image Issues
  • Burnout
  • Chronic Pain or Illness
  • Codependency
  • Depression
  • Divorce
  • Domestic Violence or Intimate Partner Violence
  • Family Conflict
  • Gender Identity Therapy
  • Grief or Loss
  • Historical/ Intergenerational Trauma
  • Immigration/Acculturation
  • LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists
  • Physical Disability
  • Polyamorous and Open Relationships
  • Racial Identity
  • Relationship Issues
  • Suicidal Thoughts
  • Systemic Oppression Therapy
  • Teen Issues
  • Women's Issues
I offer online counseling in the following states:

At A Glance

  • Experience: 4 years of practice
  • Rate: $100 - 150/session

Reach out to Shira