Yousef AlAjarma, PhD, LMHC, LMFT, REAT

Courses

• Lifespan Development
• Group Counseling and Psychotherapy
• Practical Approaches in Expressive Arts Therapies
• Clinical Skills and Practicum
• Mental Health Counseling Internship
• Introduction to Family Therapy

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Research and Practice Interests

• Trauma
• Grief
• Suicide Prevention

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Professional Licenses and Certifications

• Licensed Mental Health Counselor, LMHC (Massachusetts)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
• Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, REAT

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Awards

• Faculty of the Year - 2025, William James College
• Excellence in Teaching Award - 2015, Commencement Exercises, William James College
• Excellence in Teaching Award - 2012, Shared with the Counseling Psychology Department, Commencement Exercises, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

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Publications and Presentations

• AlAjarma, Y. (2010). The Role of the Arts Toward Healing Trauma and Building Resilience in the Palestinian Community. Doctoral Dissertation. ProQuest.
• AlAjarma, Y. Barzilay-Shechter, K. The Group Twice Promised - Reflections About Co-teaching in Israel. Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice. Issue 14, Fall 2009.
• AlAjarma, Y. Barzilay-Shechter, K. (2007). Dialogue Between Political Trauma and Personal Defenses Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 47: 320-332

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Concurrent Leadership, Service and Professional Activities

• Private practice – Psychotherapist

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Prior Experience

• Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of the Expressive Therapies Program, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
• Family Therapist, Star House Inc. Beverly, MA
• Counselor, Slifka and Malkin Scholars, Brandeis university, Waltham, MA
• Expressive Arts Therapist and Psychosocial Project Coordinator, The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees UNRWA, Ramallah, Palestine
• Expressive Arts Therapist and Youth Counseling Program Coordinator, Palestinian Youth Union and Doctors of the World, Ramallah, Palestine
• School Counselor, Al-Aytam Secondary School, Jerusalem, Israel
• Rehab and Addiction Counselor, Al-Sadeq Al-Tayb Association -Drug Treatment Center, Jerusalem, Israel

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Professional Affiliations

• American Counseling Association
• The International Expressive Arts Therapy Association IEATA

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Community Involvement

• Executive Co-Chair, The International Expressive Arts Therapy Association, IEATA
• Ummah Health, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, Boston, MA. Providing pro bono counseling services.
• Lajee Center/ Palestine

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Biography

Dr. Yousef AlAjarma, PhD, LMHC, LMFT, REAT is a highly experienced educator, expressive arts therapist, psychotherapist, and international consultant with over 25 years of expertise in mental health, expressive therapies, and trauma-informed care. His work focuses on using the arts as a powerful tool for healing, particularly for marginalized and undeserved communities, including Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, immigrant, and refugee populations.

From 2014 to 2021, he served as Co-President of the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA), where he played a key role in shaping the field of expressive therapies on a global scale. During his tenure, he helped steward the organization through complex administrative and financial transitions while championing the integration of expressive therapies in diverse cultural and clinical settings.
A leader in the field, he has co-chaired and organized numerous expressive arts therapy conferences and symposia around the world, including Hong Kong (2015), William James College (2016), Guatemala (2014), Canada (2017), and Berkeley, California (2019).

His expertise extends beyond therapy and into humanitarian mental health initiatives, co-founding VOCES: Arts and Healing in 2019 to provide arts-based mental health support for asylum seekers in Juárez, Mexico. Additionally, he serves on the advisory board of First Aid of the Soul, helping to develop psychosocial interventions for individuals affected by the war in Ukraine while also providing clinical supervision to Ukrainian psychotherapists.

For over 14 years, he has offered pro bono expressive arts therapy and supervision to individuals and families in Boston’s Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities, as well as in refugee camps in Palestine. His work also includes developing culturally responsive expressive therapies curriculum and conducting research on the role of the arts in trauma recovery and resilience-building. He has co-authored several works, including CURCUM’s Trees: A Decolonial Healing Guide for Palestinian Community Health Workers and published in scholarly journals such as Qualitative Inquiry.

He is a sought-after speaker and educator, presenting at national and international conferences on topics related to expressive therapies, trauma, and resilience. His presentations include the Massachusetts Suicide Prevention Conference, the International Expressive Arts Therapy Association Conference, and the Palestinian Mental Health Conference. He also contributes to training and mentorship in the field, reviewing applications for counseling programs, facilitating professional webinars, and designing expressive arts-based interventions for clinicians working with asylum seekers and war-affected populations.

In his private practice, he provides Individual therapy, couples and family therapy and expressive arts therapy to a diverse range of clients. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in Massachusetts, Licensed marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT), and an Approved Supervisor through the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT).

With a lifelong commitment to social justice, decolonial healing, and the power of the arts, he continues to advocate for the expansion of expressive therapies as a vital resource for healing trauma and fostering resilience in communities worldwide.