Ali Shames-Dawson, Ph.D.
Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Supervising Psychologist
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality Specialist
Midtown + Virtual
My goal as a therapist is to help you feel seen and understood so that you may do the hard work of change and healing. I work with adults across the lifespan with diverse concerns, from everyday difficulties concerning love, loss, career, and family, to profound challenges like sexual trauma and compulsive behavior, identity disturbances, and mood disorders. I specialize in issues pertaining to sex and sexuality across a broad spectrum of difficulties. While therapy looks different for each individual, a few basic principles guide my work.
Relationship: I meet my patients with warmth, compassion, seriousness of mission, and a healthy dose of humor to build a trusting and collaborative bond. While lasting change usually takes time and patience, I aim for symptom relief through practical, short-term adjustments tailored uniquely to you so that you can feel hopeful that therapy can work.
Listening to Self: Often psychological distress comes from not knowing how to listen and compassionately respond to oneself. “Shoulds” and “oughts” may impede self-knowledge and authentic self-expression. I help you attune to what is most vital and valuable to you so that you may understand internal conflicts and make authentic choices and changes.
Listening to Body: Sometimes we don’t even know how we feel. Using mindfulness and breathwork, I help patients link bodily sensations and affect states to specific emotions, narratives, and experiences to better understand their struggles and gain greater clarity and direction in their lives.
Context: All aspects of individual life—e.g., identity, desire, food, exercise, health, work, love, money—are set within greater spheres of social meaning. Exploring these factors enriches and deepens our understanding of your experiences.
Trauma-informed Treatment: Traumatic experiences may influence one’s physiology and sense of self, as well as inhibit joy, pleasure, and rewarding relationships. I help patients process trauma within a safe environment to restore healthy rest, self-worth, and the pleasures of connection and intimacy.
Inclusivity and Anti-Oppression: Variations of gender expression, sexuality, race, ethnocultural background, socioeconomic status, religious faith, legal status, and personal history are welcomed with respect and openness.
Sex, Gender, and Sexuality: Our experiences as sexual beings are often complex and can be confusing. Messages received from family and culture, as well as early or recent sexual experiences, can long inform how we engage or avoid sexual intimacy. I work to create comfort and space for exploring aspects of gender and sexuality that are often difficult to discuss. While I work with clients across the gender spectrum, men’s sexual experiences have been the focus on my research, which received an award from the American Psychological Association Division for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities in 2021.
Training
I received a master’s degree from Harvard Divinity School in Philosophy of Religion, and subsequently received a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The New School. I’ve held clinical training positions at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Brooklyn VA, North Central Bronx Hospital, and New School Counseling Center, and I completed my pre-doctoral internship at Bellevue Hospital. In addition to my research on sexual consent, sexualization and embodiment, and men's sexual behavior, I spent three years gaining specialized training in sexual trauma, nonconsensual sexual behavior, and adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. My clinical work is also informed by 400 hours of training in yoga and meditation instruction.