Opher Shamir, MA, LCAT, RDT

Opher Shamir (he/him) is a licensed creative arts therapist and registered drama therapist who specializes in mind-body connection, relationships, and social-cultural aspects of mental health across the lifespan. Opher uses evidence-based techniques to individualize the treatment for each person or family with whom he works. His approach is strength-based and follows the principles of the Disability Justice Movement. Opher adjusts himself to the communication style, abilities, and interests of each client, appreciating difference while also providing tools to expand self-expression and agency over one’s life.

Opher earned his master’s degree in drama therapy from New York University, and is a published and award-winning researcher. He has experience supporting people with mental health challenges (anxiety, depression, trauma, obsessions and compulsions, behavioral dysregulation); somatic issues (sleep, pain, eating, digestion); and identity exploration (LGBTQ+, neurodiversity, immigration, life transitions). In the last three year, he has been training in the Developmental Transformations method, which focuses on building skills to deal with life’s instability. In addition, he is a student of psychoanalysis at the Institute for Expressive Analysis.

Opher is a queer man who is able-bodied and has an invisible disability. He is an immigrant from Israel, who identifies as white, Ashkenazi Jewish and secular. Apart from his work with Dwellness, Opher is also a director of therapeutic theater and a teaching fellow at New York University.

Interested in working with Opher? Schedule a consultation with Opher here.