Clinician

Mikayla Ciotta, MHC-LP

she/her/hers

Licensed In: New York

Education & Training:

  • Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling – Touro University
  • Completed Training in Foundations for Treating Religious Trauma (Religious Trauma Institute)

Specialties:

I specialize in working with adults experiencing religious trauma, spiritual crises, and faith transitions, often those who have spent years grappling with doubt, internalized fear, or rigid belief systems. I help clients navigate the tension between personal identity and religious conditioning, providing support for those questioning their faith, struggling with existential anxiety, or seeking to reconcile their beliefs with their evolving sense of self.

Our work includes addressing childhood religious conditioning, spiritual guilt and shame, fear of punishment, and the impact of high-control religious environments. Through a compassionate, structured approach, I help clients process their experiences, reclaim their autonomy, and build a belief system—or non-belief—that feels authentic and meaningful to them.

Clinical Style & Theoretical Orientation:

I take a person-centered yet structured approach, integrating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and narrative-based strategies. I prioritize helping clients explore their beliefs, emotions, and past experiences without judgment, empowering them to develop self-trust and a sense of autonomy.

Rather than imposing a specific path, sessions are collaborative, insight-driven, and tailored to each client’s unique journey. Through exploration, education, and practical tools, I help clients challenge unhelpful thought patterns, process past experiences, and build a foundation for lasting emotional and spiritual well-being.

Lived Identity:

  • Interfaith identity experience: With a lived interfaith and intercultural identity, I have worked with individuals from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, including but not limited to, Mormonism, Judaism, Catholicism, Christianity, and Muslim traditions, fostering understanding and healing across varied lived experiences.
  • Trauma Informed

Personal Interests:

  • Animal fostering
  • Trying new restaurants

Insurance:

  • Aetna
  • Blue Cross (New York commercial plans only, accepted via Headway)
  • Cigna
  • Fidelis Care
  • Meritain Health
  • United/Oxford/Optum
  • Out-of-network (billed through Thrizer)

Client Focus Area

Abuse Survivors,

ADD,

ADHD,

Adoption,

Anger,

Anxiety,

Blended Families,

Body Positivity,

Boundary Setting,

Break Ups,

Burnout,

Codependence,

Communication,

Couples,

Dating,

Depression,

Divorce,

Disordered/Eating Disorders,

Family Conflict,

Generational Conflict,

Grief,

Infidelity,

LGBTQIA+,

Life Transitions,

Marital Conflict,

Post-Partum,

Polyamory,

Pregnancy,

PTSD,

Racial Identity,

Relationship Issues,

Self Esteem,

Self-Harm,

Sex Positive,

Sexual Abuse,

Sexual Dysfunction,

Sleep/Insomnia,

Spirituality,

Stress,

Substance Use,

Trauma,

Social

Locations

159 20th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 | 14 Wall Street,
New York, NY 10005

Copyright .