Monica Gamboa, LCAT, RDT

Monica Gamboa (she/her), is a Filipino licensed creative arts therapist, registered drama therapist, yoga teacher based in New York. Monica received her master’s degree in drama therapy from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Monica is a published researcher, drama therapy instructor at The Arts in Health Institute Philippines, clinician at Dwellness Therapy.

She has experience supporting people across cultures and lifespans in different settings including inpatient, outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential. She specializes in working with children and adolescents who are facing adjustment disorders due to pandemic. Monica also has experience working with clients with various conditions ranging from a first-time depressive episode to chronic schizophrenia.

Her approach is strengths-based and trauma-informed, deeply rooted in helping clients gain a deeper understanding of their inner selves using the tools of the creative arts. She blends her knowledge of both Western and Eastern holistic practices and can bring in concepts such as mindfulness, astrology, somatic awareness, as well as psychodynamic theory, narrative therapy and behavioral therapies like CBT and DBT.

As a first generation immigrant to the US, she has both personal and professional experience dealing with racism, oppression, and othering and specializes in working with BIPOC folks. Her desire is to create a collaborative, supportive and relational experience during sessions. She holds equity, social justice, inclusivity, and decolonizing as the framework for healing.

In the last two years, she has been training in Psychodrama, an action method which focuses on helping clients to express feelings, practice new ways to handling situations. She has also developed Astrodrama, a experiential method using the language of the stars to achieve insight. When not in her therapy sessions, Monica enjoys doing her own therapy through kickboxing, karaoke, and nature walks.