About Joylin

My work is shaped by both clinical training and lived experience.

Before becoming a therapist, I lived with high-functioning anxiety without fully recognizing it. I often shut down under stress and felt disconnected from my body, appearing capable on the outside while feeling unsettled internally.

Targeted work  helped me understand how deeply the nervous system influences thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships.

As stress increased, anxiety began affecting my sleep, digestion, and daily functioning. Trauma-focused and somatic work allowed me to experience regulation for the first time; not just intellectually, but physically. That shift changed how I understand healing.

Insight alone isn’t always enough. When the body feels unsafe, the mind follows. Working directly with the nervous system helped me feel grounded in a way I hadn’t before.

This understanding guides how I work with clients today.

  • I view anxiety, trauma, and many emotional or relational struggles through the lens of nervous system activation. Often, people are not “too sensitive” or overly emotional, their minds and bodies are responding to real or perceived threats shaped by lived experiences, relationships, environments, and cultural context.

    A core part of my work is helping clients understand what is happening in their minds and bodies and why. For many people, gaining this understanding brings an immediate sense of relief, clarity, and self-compassion:

    “This makes sense.”

  • My approach is trauma-informed, somatic, relational, culturally aware, and identity-affirming. I recognize that our mental health and nervous systems are shaped not only by personal experiences, but also by relationships, culture, identity, family dynamics, systemic stress, and the environments we move through every day.

  • I take the whole person into account throughout our work together; mind, body, history, relationships, identity, and lifestyle. Therapy is not about “fixing” you, but about helping you better understand yourself, reconnect with your body and emotions, and move out of survival mode.

    I work with adults navigating anxiety, chronic stress, complex trauma, relationship challenges, life transitions, emotional dysregulation, and feeling disconnected from themselves or their bodies. Many of the clients I work with are thoughtful, self-aware, and used to living “in their heads,” yet struggle to feel grounded, emotionally connected, or fully safe within themselves.

  • Joylin Santos, LMHC
    Licensed Mental Health Counselor — New York State
    License #014303 (Expires 12/31/2026)

    Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Level 2
    Certification Number: 168094

    I also hold an M.A. in Clinical Art Therapy, which I integrate when helpful using creative or nonverbal approaches
    to support regulation, insight, and expression.

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ONLINE THERAPY

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NEW YORK

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HIGH-ACHIEVING INDIVIDUALS

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ANXIETY

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PERFECTIONISM

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TRAUMA SUPPORT

✺ ONLINE THERAPY ✺ NEW YORK ✺ HIGH-ACHIEVING INDIVIDUALS ✺ ANXIETY ✺ PERFECTIONISM ✺ TRAUMA SUPPORT

What Sets Us Apart

People-First
Approach

Everything we do is built around understanding your needs and helping you succeed—because when you thrive, so do we.

Inclusive,
Affirming Care

A welcoming space where your identity, experiences, culture, and story are respected. Every part of who you are is valued and has a place here.

Proven Process,
Flexible Execution

We bring structure where it counts and adaptability where it matters. Our methods are clear, but always responsive.

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