DEIKE BENJOYA
cLINICAL ART THERAPIST, M.A. & HP PSYCHOTHERAPY
Let's take the time to honor the stories in your life
However You Wish To Tell Them.
From a trauma-informed perspective, I work with warmth and presence to help adults and teens explore their wants and needs, the underlying influences of past experiences, and ways to foster growth. My approach is rooted in emotional safety, attunement, and the understanding that healing is a whole-body experience. My goal is to provide an affirming and empowering space from which to start a collaborative journey that invites curiosity and self-reflection. I hope that we can be partners in helping you grow in clarity, resilience, and joy.
I am trained in psychodynamic modalities of art therapy and in methods of traditional talk therapy. Whether or not to engage in the art making process is a decision you are free to make within each session.
What is Art Psychotherapy?
Art therapy broadens the playing field of talk therapy and helps us access and process emotions and thoughts that may otherwise be difficult to articulate. Sometimes words are hard. Working creatively can reframe our experiences into safe expressions, and within the protective environment of a therapeutic relationship, art making can drive transformation and recovery. I honor the uniqueness of each individual and believe we can build resilience and improve emotional, mental, and physical well-being by nurturing our innate creative potential.
Art making is a way of finding and an act of hope. A way to relate and feel whole. Authentic expression is therapeutic in its own right, and art therapy provides a setting free from external pressures where playfulness, inspiration, and spontaneous joy can flourish. The creative process engages our resources, helping us gain a sense of empowerment and agency in moments when life may feel challenging and overwhelming.
About Me
My approach is integrative, trauma-informed, and resource-oriented. I have worked with clients navigating a range of topics including:
life transitions, immigration and cultural adjustment, relationship difficulties, stress, fatigue, depressive episodes, existential crises, grief and loss, physical illness, unresolved childhood events, complex trauma and PTSD, anxiety, psychosomatic symptoms, recovery from psychosis, hearing voices, neurodivergence, bipolar disorder, and forms of schizophrenia.
I provide Experienced Focused Councelling (EFC) for voice hearers. EFC in combination with art therapy creates an opportunity to harness vulnerability as a source of strength and to embrace characteristics often associated with mental health challenges — such as active thoughts, intense emotions, and vivid imagination — as sources of creativity.
I am drawn to working with people of diverse backgrounds and work in a multicultural sensitive manner. I am LGBTQ+, gender non-conforming and alternative lifestyle affirmative.
I regularly participate in continuing education and supervision.
• Clinical Art Therapy, M.A. (Sigmund Freud University, Berlin)
• Heilpraktiker Psychotherapie (certified by the Berlin Health Department)
• Psycholinguistics, M.A. & North American Literature, M.A. (Freie Universität, Berlin)
• Psychodynamic Imaginative Trauma Therapy (PITT). PITT is a resource-oriented psychotherapy approach for complex trauma-related challenges. It fosters stabilization, resource activation, and self-compassion.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT is a form of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and focuses on acceptance and mindfulness. It fosters psychological flexibility and encourages values driven actions.
• Experience Focused Counselling (EFC). EFC is a recovery-oriented, psychosocial approach designed for voice hearers and those with similar, non-shared realities. The approach focuses on accepting, exploring, and integrating voices into life and aims at reducing distress and building coping strategies.
Services & Fees
I offer individual and small group sessions in English and German.
Free initial phone consultation.
Trial Session, 60 minutes: 65 € (materials included)
During two trial sessions you can decide if you would like to continue. If so, we will determine your goals and sign a treatment agreement.
Individual Session, 60 minutes: 85 € (materials included)
Individual Session, 90 minutes: 115 € (materials included)
To apply for partial coverage from a health insurance provider, you will need a doctor's note that includes a diagnosis and a recommendation for art therapy. In some cases it is also possible to apply for funding through the “PERSONAL BUTGET:
www.bmas.de/DE/Soziales/Teilhabe-und-Inklusion/Rehabilitation-und-Teilhabe/Persoenliches-Budget/persoenliches-budget-art.html
Cancellations
Cancellations of individual therapy sessions must occur at least 24h prior to the agreement. Cancellations after this deadline must be paid as attended.
Health Insurance Coverage
In most cases, art therapy is still not covered by public health insurances. Some private insurances cover Heilpraktiker Psychotherapy or art therapy sessiosn. If you pay out of pocket, you can claim it as "extraordinary expenses" on your tax return.
Contact & Location
Deike Benjoya
Clinical Art Therapist, M.A. & Heilpraktiker Psychotherapy
Il Centro - Holistic Center for Mental and Physical Health
Ansbacherstr. 45
10777 Berlin - Schöneberg