Dilara Akpinar, CAT-LP (she, her), Psychotherapist

Dilara is a somatic psychotherapist, who cultivates an environment that fosters curiosity, growth, and radical acceptance of self. Working with Dilara will show you the profound transformative impact of connecting with your body. Often clients have, through therapy or introspection, acquired an intellectual knowledge of themselves and their desired world, but find that they are still feeling stuck in painful memories, cyclical experiences, or emotional dysregulation. This can be tiresome loop, often resulting in disconnection from both self and others. Dilara can help you embody your authentic selves and values. Through integration of mind, body, and soul, Dilara will be your guide on a journey to enhance your self-awareness, map behavior patterns, release emotional blockages, nurture a serene connection to the present moment, and transform traumatic stagnancy into growth-oriented energy.

Dilara uses an eclectic therapeutic approach through a blend of psychoeducation, somatic awareness, mindfulness skills, and talk therapy. Grounded in evidence-based methodologies like Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and motivational interviewing, She applies these approaches through a person-centered lens, emphasizing social justice framework and trauma-informed perspectives in her practice. Dilara embraces the chance to collaborate with clients of every race, gender, age, sexuality, religion, nationality/ethnicity, and relationship type. She encourages you to come as you are.

Dilara carries experience in working with individuals across various age groups, addressing a diverse range of inner challenges including trauma, depression, anxiety, pain management, grief and loss, conflict, identity, self-esteem, as well as relationship and intimacy concerns. Her background includes working at a domestic violence shelter, where she facilitated group and individual therapy for children, adolescents and adults. She additionally facilitated group therapy sessions at a suicide prevention center for Latinx teenagers. Furthermore, Dilara creates embodied wellness workshops for communities incorporating an earthly, ancient movement modality known as belly dance, to delve into the emotions within the body, particularly focusing on the exploration of divine feminine energy.

EDUCATION
Sarah Lawrence College
Master of Science: Dance/Movement Therapy

University of Greenwich
Bachelor of Arts: Media and Communications

AREAS OF FOCUS
Teens and Emerging Adults
Global Majority
Somatic Awareness
Wholeness/ Self-actualization
Trauma
Depression
Oppression
Couples Therapy
Sex Therapy
Relationship Challenges
Life Transitions

DBT Skills Training:
– Mindfulness
– Emotional Regulation
– Interpersonal Effectiveness
– Distress Tolerance

RATES & AVAILABILITY
– Cigna in-network
– Rates for out-of-network/full fee $190/session
– Sliding scale available
– Click here for Availability & Next Steps to Book

Dilara Akpinar, CAT-LP (she, her, hers) Psychotherapist