About Gabriela Portas

I am a New York State licensed creative arts therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner working with adults, families, and children who are seeking to overcome their personal barriers using a collaborative approach that incorporates creative expression. My focus is on helping you explore your own capacity for healing within the framework of a safe and trusting therapeutic environment.  I use the artistic process, mindfulness-based interventions, and principles from Somatic Experiencing to help you increase your awareness and be able to meet life’s challenges with equanimity and authenticity.  I believe in the capacity of each individual to draw on existing strengths to remove present-day obstacles, as well as to delve into longer-seated issues that might keep you from reaching your full potential. As a native Spanish-speaker with multicultural roots, I also bring a unique and compassionate perspective to my work with individuals who are culturally diverse.

In addition to working with life stressors such as career dissatisfaction, relational conflicts, and parenting difficulties, my main areas of focus are:

  • Anxiety and Mood Disorders
  • PTSD and Trauma
  • Family and Parent/Child Relationships
  • Acculturation and Immigration Issues

Further Information

Education

  • Certification: Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) from Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute
  • MA in Art Therapy: Clinical Applications of Art Psychotherapy from University of Barcelona. With a master’s thesis on Symbolic Functioning and Nascent Attachment  in a Schizophrenic Child.
  • B.A. with Honors, Summa Cum Laude from New York University, in Anthropology

Advanced Clinical Training and Supervision

  • Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) Training (2014-2019)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Level II Workshop with Steven C. Hayes (2017)
  • Supervision with Arthur Robbins, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus Pratt Institute (2011-2017)
  • Supervision with Robert Wolf, LP, LCAT (2007-2010)
  • Certified Parenting Journey Facilitator through The Parenting Journey Training Institute (2008)
  • Supervision  in structural family therapy with George Simon. M.S.  (2007-2008)

Presentations

  • Portas, G & K. Diaz (2019) Revisiting Multi-cultural, Multifamily Art Therapy Groups (VIII Congress on Migration and Mental Health, Athena Network, New Paltz, NY)
  • Portas, G. (2018) Art Making and Emergent Play (Association for the Healing power of the Imagination Annual Conference)
  • Portas, G & K. Diaz (2015) Art Bridging Cultures: A Multifamily Chinese and Latino Art Therapy Group (American Art Therapy Association Annual Conference)
  • Portas, G. (2012). Art Therapy in Acute Psychiatry (Metafora Center for Art Therapy , Barcelona, Spain)
  • Portas, G. (2012) Cultural Diversity issues in Clinical Practice (Jamaica Hospital Medical Center)

Licensure

  • Creative Arts Therapist, New York State

Professional Affiliations

  • American Art Therapy Association (AATA)
  • New York Art Therapy Association (NYATA)
  • Professional Member of ACBS (Association for Contextual Behavioral Science)
  • Hudson Valley Guild of Mental Health Professionals

I am a New York State licensed creative arts therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner working with adults, families, and children who are seeking to overcome their personal barriers using a collaborative approach that incorporates creative expression. My focus is on helping you explore your own capacity for healing within the framework of a safe and trusting therapeutic environment.  I use the artistic process, mindfulness-based interventions, and principles from Somatic Experiencing to help you increase your awareness and be able to meet life’s challenges with equanimity and authenticity.  I believe in the capacity of each individual to draw on existing strengths to remove present-day obstacles, as well as to delve into longer-seated issues that might keep you from reaching your full potential. As a native Spanish-speaker with multicultural roots, I also bring a unique and compassionate perspective to my work with individuals who are culturally diverse.

In addition to working with life stressors such as career dissatisfaction, relational conflicts, and parenting difficulties, my main areas of focus are:

  • Anxiety and Mood Disorders
  • PTSD and Trauma
  • Family and Parent/Child Relationships
  • Acculturation and Immigration Issues

Further Information

Education

  • Certification: Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) from Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute
  • MA in Art Therapy: Clinical Applications of Art Psychotherapy from University of Barcelona. With a master’s thesis on Symbolic Functioning and Nascent Attachment  in a Schizophrenic Child.
  • B.A. with Honors, Summa Cum Laude from New York University, in Anthropology

Advanced Clinical Training and Supervision

  • Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) Training (2014-2019)
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Level II Workshop with Steven C. Hayes (2017)
  • Supervision with Arthur Robbins, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus Pratt Institute (2011-2017)
  • Supervision with Robert Wolf, LP, LCAT (2007-2010)
  • Certified Parenting Journey Facilitator through The Parenting Journey Training Institute (2008)
  • Supervision  in structural family therapy with George Simon. M.S.  (2007-2008)

Presentations

  • Portas, G & K. Diaz (2019) Revisiting Multi-cultural, Multifamily Art Therapy Groups (VIII Congress on Migration and Mental Health, Athena Network, New Paltz, NY)
  • Portas, G. (2018) Art Making and Emergent Play (Association for the Healing power of the Imagination Annual Conference)
  • Portas, G & K. Diaz (2015) Art Bridging Cultures: A Multifamily Chinese and Latino Art Therapy Group (American Art Therapy Association Annual Conference)
  • Portas, G. (2012). Art Therapy in Acute Psychiatry (Metafora Center for Art Therapy , Barcelona, Spain)
  • Portas, G. (2012) Cultural Diversity issues in Clinical Practice (Jamaica Hospital Medical Center)

Licensure

  • Creative Arts Therapist, New York State

Professional Affiliations

  • American Art Therapy Association (AATA)
  • New York Art Therapy Association (NYATA)
  • Professional Member of ACBS (Association for Contextual Behavioral Science)
  • Hudson Valley Guild of Mental Health Professionals