About Herb Cohen
Herb Cohen is a Registered, Board Certified, and Licensed Creative Art Therapist. He is certified in EMDR psychotherapy and is an approved consultant by the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA) Herb Cohen is certified in clinical hypnotherapy. Herb was the Director of Stepping Stones PROS Program in Huntington, for Family Service League for 20 years and left to manifest a full-time private psychotherapy practice. In all Herb has accrued over 40 years of clinical experience. He was Co- Coordinator for the LI EMDR Regional Network. Herb was Co-Chairs of the Long Island Committee on Sexual Abuse and Family Violence.
Education, Experience & Philosophy
Herb holds a Masters in Creative Arts Therapy from Hofstra University and a post-Masters Certification as an Addiction Specialist from SUNY at Stony Brook and Nassau County Department of Drugs and Alcohol. He has interned at Bellevue Psychiatric Center and is truly passionate about creating addiction treatment catered towards individuals needs.
Herb has been practicing as a therapist since 1979 and has worked administratively since 1984 in both inpatient and outpatient settings. He has taught research as an Adjunct-Professor of Graduate Art Therapy at Hofstra. Herb has also studied Hypnosis, Gestalt and Sensorimotor therapy approaches as well has a strong neurobiological foundation. He additionally has a BFA in Painting.
Herb works from a compassionate base which is that everything is seen from this perspective. Chronic pain avoidance is seen as an act of compassion as who wants to be in pain?
Mindfulness & Spirituality
Herb began studying T’ai Chi 25 years ago, and became very involved with studying bioenergy, Chi Kung, Reiki and Tibetan and Zen Meditation practices. Herb began integrating energy and mindfulness based stress reduction with clinical treatment. He found applications of this work to be profound in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Herb continues to advance applications of EMDR, Energy and Creative Arts Therapy and developed ways to integrate these applications to maximize the therapeutic benefit. Herb’s approach is gentle, supportive and person centered allowing patients to truly find mindfulness and emotionally healthy spirituality.
Advocacy & Appearances
Herb Cohen has worked tirelessly as an advocate for the serious mentally ill and for the integration of trauma informed care in mental health, chemical dependency, eating disorders, criminal justice, inpatient as well as outpatient settings. He is currently a consultant /trainer for trauma informed services for both Nassau and Suffolk Counties via the Long Island Committee on Sexual Abuse and Family Violence (check out on Facebook). He has done trauma training at the Northport Veteran’s Administration 4 times and Keynoted their Sexual Trauma Awareness Month festivities twice.
Herb has worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings before starting to work privately. He has worked with children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities at the Nassau Center for the Developmentally Disabled. He has worked with children adolescents and adults inpatient at Brunswick Hall. This included dual-diagnosed adults (mental illness and substance abuse/addiction) and geriatric inpatients as well. He has worked for Catholic Charities running a “620” outpatient program for psychiatric adults for 12 years and was with Family Service League for 20 years as Director of Stepping Stones CDTP/PROS outpatient program.
Herb most recently has been a radio guest on Recovery Road and Your Life After Trauma. He has also appeared in the television magazine Something of Substance and is published in The Sober World magazine (Jan.2014), where he explains feeling states and addiction. Find out more about Herb Cohen The Sober World Magazine article.
Herb is campaigning to remove statutes of limitation from NY State’s Sexual assault laws. Herb is an advocate in fighting court corruption in Suffolk County. Herb continues to practice as a fine artist and paints daily. He integrates his spiritual practice in his art, as well as in his adult and childhood trauma work with survivors.