Diana Feldman

I am a board-certified drama therapist and licensed creative arts therapist with over thirty years of experience. I specialize in working with children, adolescents, and adults with developmental trauma, and I also do parent coaching. With my deep understanding of children, I am well versed in working with developmental trauma in adults. I run drama therapy groups for all ages and often partner with schools and other instituions. I also do training. My method is integrative and somatic working with the specific needs of clients. I am widely published in journals of arts and psychotherapy. and am presetly completing a book on working with youth with trauma. I live and work in New York City. I do in-person and online therapy.

I believe a positive client/therapist relationship is essential for success! I develop a personalized treatment approach to meet the needs of every client. In a compassionate, non-judgmental atmosphere, I use a strength-based approach to assist people to become more self-aware so they can make the life changes they seek. In over thirty years of experience working with people of all ages and abilities, I have been honored to witness profound growth and change addressing a wide range of issues such as anxiety and trauma. I believe embarking on change is a courageous journey!

When talk therapy is not enough, I draw on my expertise as a leader in the field of drama therapy. Drama therapy is the intentional use of theater techniques such as story telling, role playing and creative tools to deepen a client's experience in an indirect, non-threatening way. It is a strong modality for working through trauma, and great for kids. It's experiential and fun!

Adolescence is a tumultuous time. In addition to dealing with school, peer pressure and sexuality, issues such as divorce and living in an unpredictable world compound the challenges even more. I appreciate the developmental complexities of this age group and understand why some adults find it difficult to understand young people’s feelings and behaviors.

My thirty years of experience working in schools, hospitals and other youth settings has taught me how to create a safe, non-judgmental space for youth to explore life issues and address conflicts. Drawing on my tools as a drama therapist, I use role play, theater games and storytelling to help them safely explore the different roles they play in life; and once self awareness is sparked, I offer practical tools that can replace negative behavior.

Children develop life skills through play. More effective than talk therapy, expressive arts therapies such as creative drama, music and art help children work through difficult feelings. Big emotions such as anger or sorrow need a voice to be expressed. I hold a safe “container” for them to freely communicate their feelings as we work together on positive expression, appropriate behavior and life skills.

I also offer group therapy for children, adolescents and to adults. Groups foster new relationships in a creative, supportive environment. Together thoughts and feelings are safely expressed as participants address issues of social anxiety, trauma, body image and more as they practice new life skills through the safe medium of role play and performance.