Elsa Pelier

Elsa Pelier  is a board-certified licensed art therapist, a psychotherapist, guest lecturer, educator, and published author with 30 years of experience as an expert in chronic illness, bereavement and loss, and trauma treatment.

Ms. Pelier maintains a private practice on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, working with children, adolescents, and adults. She provides clinical post-graduate supervision to multidisciplinary professionals.

As an adjunct faculty instructor within the Graduate Art Therapy Department of New York University, Steinheardt School of Culture Education and Human Development, she has taught Medical Art Therapy and Internship in Art Therapy.

Ms. Pelier holds both undergraduate and post-graduate degrees from New York University.

She is a graduate of the Manhattan Institute for Interpersonal Psychoanalysis, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy and Trauma Treatment programs and also the Martha K. Selig Educational Institute, Advanced Training Program, JBFCS specializing in Child and Family Treatment.  

Ms. Pelier served as coordinator and psychotherapist of a school based mental health clinic for the Union Settlement Organization.

Formerly Art Therapy Supervisor at The Ittleson Center, Jewish Board of Family and Children Services.

Ms. Pelier functioned as coordinator of the Child Life Art Therapy program for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Services, Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Additionally, Ms. Pelier held the position of Adjunct Professor on faculty of the School of Visual Arts, Art Therapy Department.

She has presented regionally, nationally, and abroad, including: JBFCS, Bi-Annual Conference, American Association of Children’s Residential Centers, the New York State Coalition for Children’s Mental Health Services Conference, The Institute for Child, Adolescent and Family Studies, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds and Bereavement Symposium, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the New York Society of Ericksonian Hypnotherapy and Psychotherapy and the Associazione Edith Kramer ONLUS Art Therapy Program, Torino, Italy.

Publications include: The Mind, the Body, and the Creative Process: Embodied Representations in Art Therapy, Art Therapy Practices for Resilient Youth, Routledge 2019.

Trauma Work within the Residential Milieu: An Innovative Parallel Process. Contributions to Residential Treatment 2006 Annual Meeting, American Association Children’s Residential Centers, Nov 2007.

Ericksonian Hypnosis and Approaches with Pediatric Hematology Oncology Patients." American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis: Vol. 41, No. 2.  Oct 1998.

Ms. Pelier has been a featured clinician in The New York Times, The New York Times Guide to Alternate Health and various television news segments.