Alicia Stephen MA. RDT.
healing trauma. healing grief. ​​​
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joy. liberation. truth. awe. connection. play.
I am a trauma centered dramatherapist, psychotherapist, group facilitator, educator, and consultant.
Rooted in over 12 years of clinical practice, I have trained and supervised mental health providers, therapists, social workers, and educators across the U.S. in best practices for delivering trauma-centered care. ​​​
Trauma happens in isolation,
Healing happens in relationships.
I believe everyone has the capacity to heal within, but we cannot do it alone. We all need loving reminders from people who care for us and believe in us - friends, family, loved ones, caregivers, guides, healers, therapists, clinicians, kind strangers - we need them.
Work with Me
My
Approach
My work honors the intelligence of the body, the imagination, and the nervous system.
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We all need a place to vent, cry or laugh about our traumatic experiences without being shamed, silenced, or judged for how it impacts us and how we choose to heal from it.
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My direct and playful approach does not avoid the truth about people's lived experiences but moves toward it - heart open.
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When I work with people, I draw from my own experiences of trauma, brokenness, and healing. I am inspired by—and deeply grateful for—my many teachers, mentors, healers, friends, and family, who have come in all shapes and sizes to support me along the way. These folx in my community have shaped me, held me, and carried me through tough times. My own healing journey is speckled with body wisdom, play, delight, irreverence, dark humor, sacred connections, and awe-inspiring moments—too wonderful to keep hidden and not share.
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Whether through therapy, training, or group facilitation, I create spaces that are non-pathologizing, playful, and grounded in deep respect for each person's story and inner wisdom.
Drawing from drama therapy, somatic practices, and developmental theory, I support clients and clinicians in exploring the complex interplay between trauma, identity, and resilience.
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My work is informed by anti-oppressive lenses that recognizes how systems and relationships shape our wounds—and our healing.
What I'm
doing today...
People, Places, Organizations, Connections...
Alicia currently lives bi-coastally in San Francisco CA and New Haven CT. She travels, teaches, and facilitates trainings nationwide.
She is a Senior Trauma Clinician at the Post Traumatic Stress Center at West Rock Wellness in New Haven, CT, where she provides trauma-centered psychotherapy and drama therapy to clients navigating severe anxiety, depression, and PTSD. She primarily works with people who have experienced gun violence or sexual assault.
She is the Director and Lead Faculty member of Developmental Transformations Institute-West, a three-year, trauma-centered, play-based certification program for drama therapists based in San Francisco, CA, where she also supervises and mentors program graduates.
In 2020, Alicia took on the role of Training Director and later Co-Director of the Miss Kendra Program (formerly known as the ALIVE Program), a nationwide initiative based in New Haven, CT. She initially joined the team in 2017, offering direct services to children and youth, and went on to contribute to curriculum development, training, and supervision across multiple facets of the program. The initiative uses play, imagination, and storytelling to help K–12 students build resilience and foster inner strength in the aftermath of trauma. Currently she conducts trainings for Miss Kendra Certification at various organizations and schools.
Since 2021, Alicia has also been adjunct faculty at CIIS in San Francisco, where she teaches trauma centered psychotherapy to graduate students from various Counseling Psychology programs.
Testimonies...
"Alicia Stephen is a magician of the soul. She has years of experience reaching terrified children and helping them overcome what happened, and discover what can be. Drama therapist, psychotherapist, educator, advocate, Alicia inspires and instructs, always leading with her heart. She gives us the vision to see what is possible."​