Kim Hedaya, LCAT
Kim Hedaya is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist and Registered Dance/Movement Therapist who works with children, adolescents, teens, parents, and families. She offers a range of therapeutic services, including individual, dyadic, and group therapy. Her approach blends nonverbal modalities like play, movement, music, and art with verbal processing to foster greater insight and a holistic mind-body connection within her clients. Grounded in a psychodynamic framework and guided by a trauma-informed perspective, Kim's therapeutic approach draws upon humanistic and attachment theories. She weaves elements of mindfulness, authentic movement, and creative practices into her work, ensuring a customized and attuned approach that caters to each client's unique needs.
Kim specializes in working with children and teens, addressing anxiety, behavioral challenges, childhood trauma, divorce, illness, grief, and loss. Throughout her work with children and teens, Kim has gained valuable insights into the profound significance of caregivers' mental health and its direct influence on the early attachment between caregiver and child.
Thus, Kim's approach involves fortifying the mental well-being of both individuals within the dyad, establishing a strong and nurturing foundation from which their relationship can flourish. Kim's passion lies in nurturing and deepening the parent-child relationship, providing support across the entire spectrum of parenthood. From offering prenatal care guidance to fostering early infancy bonding, navigating the challenges of toddlerhood, and beyond, Kim is dedicated to assisting families every step of the way.
Before joining Interactive Discovery, Kim has had experience working with children and teens across various settings. This included her work on a pediatric oncology unit, where she played a vital role in supporting children and their families through an integrative team approach. During this time, Kim underwent specialized training in Multi-Sensory Dance/Movement Therapy techniques for pain management. She also incorporated creative arts to help children and their caregivers navigate their experiences and express their narratives.
While working at a community-based center serving children aged 2-5, Kim specialized in early childhood development, social-emotional learning, attachment, and trauma. Her work extended to dyadic therapy to address early childhood trauma, actively engaging caregivers, aiding children in enhancing self-regulation, and strengthening their connection with their parents. Kim's responsibilities encompassed on-site support for faculty during behavioral challenges and the facilitation of interdisciplinary team meetings to integrate student support services. She further enriched the environment by offering creative movement and yoga groups for students, along with mindfulness, movement, and self-care sessions for faculty.
In her most recent role as a creative arts therapist within a school setting, Kim supported students, parents, and teachers spanning grades K-8. Her contributions included individual counseling, consultation with parents and teachers, in-class assistance, and the facilitation of various groups, including those focused on social skills, mindfulness, and creative arts for children of divorced or separated parents.
Kim values collaborative teamwork and was drawn to Interactive Discovery for its dedication to a holistic and integrated approach to mental health.
Kim obtained a Bachelor of the Arts in Psychology from Hunter College and a Master of Science in Dance/Movement Therapy from Pratt Institute. She is certified in Child Parent Psychotherapy and Ways of Seeing training.
For additional clinical content written by Kim, check out these links!