Today we’d like to introduce you to Chaya Katz.
Hi Chaya, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My professional journey began with a deep curiosity about the human inner world and a strong desire to understand emotional processes, relationships, and healing. From early on, I was drawn to the intersection of psychology, education, and personal growth, which eventually led me to pursue formal training in psychotherapy.
I began my clinical work in Israel, where I had the opportunity to work in a wide range of therapeutic and educational settings, including schools, community mental health programs, and clinical frameworks. These experiences allowed me to work with children, adolescents, adults, parents, and couples, and shaped my integrative and relational approach to therapy. During those years, I also facilitated workshops and groups, combining emotional processing with expressive and creative tools — a foundation that later evolved into my specialization in bibliotherapy.
After relocating to the United States, I continued to deepen my clinical training and am currently in the final stages of completing my doctoral degree in Couples and Family Therapy. Alongside my academic work, I practice in a private clinic in Miami, where I focus on anxiety, mood disorders, trauma, relationship challenges, and emotional development. My therapeutic approach integrates psychodynamic therapy, ACT, DBT, CBT, and bibliotherapy, allowing me to tailor the work to each individual’s unique needs.
Looking back, my path has been shaped by a continuous search for meaning, connection, and emotional depth. Today, I feel deeply grateful to be able to accompany individuals and couples on their journeys toward greater self-awareness, healing, and growth — and to create spaces, through therapy and workshops, where people can reconnect with themselves and with one another in more authentic and compassionate ways
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It certainly has not been a smooth or linear road — but it has been a deeply meaningful one.
One of my earliest challenges was finding my own therapeutic voice and belief system. During my training, I was exposed to many different approaches, and over time I learned to clarify what truly resonates with me. I discovered that my work is strongly grounded in positive psychology, a focus on meaning, and an emphasis on personal choice and responsibility. Shaping this professional identity was a gradual and sometimes challenging process, but it became the foundation of my clinical work.
Another significant journey was converting my Israeli clinical license into an LMHC license in the United States. This process required perseverance, flexibility, and patience, as it involved navigating different regulatory systems, completing additional requirements, and adapting to a new professional culture.
Alongside all of this, I was building my family. Over the years, I gave birth to four children, and learning how to balance motherhood, clinical work, and doctoral studies has been one of the most intense and transformative experiences of my life. There were periods of exhaustion, uncertainty, and emotional strain, but also deep growth, resilience, and clarity about my priorities.
Looking back, those intense chapters shaped not only my professional identity, but also my capacity for empathy, presence, and understanding — qualities that I now bring into my work with individuals, couples, and families.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At the heart of my work is a deep belief in the power of relationships. I view emotional suffering not as something that exists in isolation, but as something that almost always emerges within relational contexts — through experiences of disconnection, unmet needs, emotional wounds, and ruptures in meaningful bonds. At the same time, I believe that relationships are also the primary space for healing. They are where our deepest vulnerabilities are activated, but also where repair, growth, and transformation can occur.
A central focus of my clinical work is helping clients get to the root of their struggles, rather than only addressing surface symptoms. I work to uncover the underlying emotional patterns, attachment wounds, relational dynamics, and internal beliefs that drive anxiety, depression, conflict, and emotional distress. By bringing these deeper layers into awareness, clients are able to create lasting change rather than temporary relief.
My clinical work focuses primarily on women, couples, and adolescents, addressing a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship conflict, attachment wounds, identity development, life transitions, parenting challenges, and emotional regulation. My therapeutic approach is integrative and meaning-centered, drawing from psychodynamic therapy, ACT, DBT, CBT, positive psychology, and bibliotherapy, as well as expressive and creative arts tools. I place strong emphasis on personal choice, responsibility, emotional awareness, and cultivating inner strengths. I aim to help clients move beyond symptom relief toward deeper self-understanding, emotional freedom, and a more meaningful and connected life.
What sets my work apart is the integration of clinical depth with creativity and relational presence. I use writing, literature, metaphor, and expressive exercises to help clients access emotions, gain insight, and process experiences in ways that go beyond traditional talk therapy. This allows for deeper emotional engagement, particularly for those who struggle to articulate feelings directly.
I offer therapy in both English and Hebrew, allowing me to serve a diverse and multicultural community, and to work sensitively within different cultural and religious contexts. I am deeply committed to creating a therapeutic space that is warm, respectful, culturally attuned, and emotionally safe.
Brand-wise, I am most proud of creating a practice that embodies authenticity, depth, compassion, and professionalism. My goal is not only to reduce distress, but to help individuals and couples build richer emotional lives, stronger relationships, and a deeper sense of meaning. I want my clients — and your readers — to know that healing is possible, that emotional struggles can become gateways to growth, and that through awareness, choice, and connection, lasting change can truly occur.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
One thing that often surprises people is that alongside my work as a psychotherapist, I have a deep and longstanding connection to music. I play professionally, performing both classical pieces and contemporary songs, and for many years I created music for community events and festivals. Music has always been a central part of my emotional and creative life.
For me, music is not only an art form, but also a profound emotional language – one that can access feelings, memories, and inner experiences that words sometimes cannot reach. One of my aspirations is to integrate music more intentionally into my therapeutic work, using it as another pathway for emotional expression, healing, and connection. I see music as a powerful bridge between the inner world and the therapeutic process, and I hope to continue exploring ways to bring it into the clinical space in meaningful and healing ways.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chayatherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katzchaiky/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100052329407967
