About Colleen
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Getting to know Colleen
Hi, I’m Colleen, and this is Noel. She often sits nearby during my Telehealth sessions. Noel was my therapy pet during my own brain injury recovery, so she brings good vibes to our sessions. Before I’m a therapist, I’m a family person. I cherish my role as a wife and mother to four children, and our household includes a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, and a nan-nan.
In my 35 years of experience, I’ve found that being a therapist has made me a better wife and mother, and vice versa. I truly believe in the power of learning from each other, which is why I strive for open, honest communication in therapy. I ask for one thing from my clients: honesty. I don’t judge and expect the same in return. My approach is to be honest with you, and I appreciate when clients are open with me.
Work-life balance is crucial to me, and I often help clients learn this balance themselves. It’s essential for mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. I want to help you embrace self-compassion and own your humanness. We are often kinder to others than to ourselves, and it’s important to extend that kindness inward.
As a creative arts person, you might notice that I do things differently. However, I am also a very good listener, and our sessions don’t always require props or creative activities. Over my career, I’ve acquired many tools, and I’m constantly learning new ones. I attend seminars and workshops to ensure I can be the best tool in your box until you no longer need me.
Safety is a primary goal in our work together. I’ve been a pioneer in trauma therapy, teaching therapists and starting programs in hospitals before they were widely available. I believe that from a safe place, you can co-create your recovery. In today’s world, feeling safe can be challenging, so I focus on helping you create internal safety, starting with ensuring you feel comfortable in our physical space, whether in the office, during telehealth sessions, or at retreat sites.
No question is silly or stupid. If you’ve thought it, it’s worth asking. I’m not afraid to say, “I don’t know,” and I will search for answers or explore them with you.
I’ve experienced a lot of healing in my life, overcoming my own traumas and maladaptive coping behaviors. I teach from both my clinical education and personal experience, as I believe both are valuable. If you choose to work with me, you’ll benefit from my insights and those of any therapists I choose to include in my groups and retreat teams.
Deborah Karner
LCSW, TEP
Deborah Karner, LCSW, TEP, brings a unique blend of artistry and clinical depth to her work as a psychotherapist, educator, and psychodramatist. Her professional journey began as an operatic stage director, working throughout the U.S. and Europe before teaching at Mannes College of Music in New York City and Temple University in Philadelphia. Today, she integrates that creative foundation into her clinical work with addictions, trauma, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
As part of a long-standing collaboration with Colleen Baratka, MA, TEP, Deborah co-facilitates an ongoing TBI and Trauma Recovery Group and contributes to research on spontaneity and brain injury. Together, they have spent over 16 years developing innovative, action-based approaches to trauma healing, blending psychodrama, sociometry, and expressive arts. Their partnership—born out of Colleen’s own recovery from TBI—has evolved into a powerful model of clinical teamwork grounded in empathy, creativity, and lived experience.
In recognition of their pioneering work, Deborah and Colleen received the 2022 Collaborators Award from the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP). They continue to present nationally on the intersection of spontaneity, trauma, and neurorehabilitation, and are pursuing Brain Injury Specialist certification. Through their retreats and trainings, they invite participants to reclaim resilience, connection, and spontaneity through psychodrama, the healing arts, and social justice frameworks.
Colleen Baratka
MA, TEP
Colleen Baratka, MA, TEP, CTP-3 is a Fellow of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama (ASGPP) and the recipient of multiple national awards: the Hannah Weiner Award (2019), the Collaborator’s Award (2022) with Deborah Karner, LCSW, TEP, and the Innovator’s Award (2025) for her original and creative techniques in the treatment of eating disorders.
Beginning her career as a Special Education teacher, Colleen used creative arts to teach and empower special needs and disenfranchised children. She later graduated from New York University’s Drama Therapy program and has been in clinical practice for more than 30 years. Her early clinical work focused on addiction and family prevention, which led to creating a hospital-wide psychodrama program at the Belmont Center in Philadelphia, PA, serving all inpatient populations. There, she helped develop trauma treatment groups and served on the founding team of the Belmont Center’s Eating Disorders Unit.
Colleen was later recruited to develop and lead the Trauma Program at the Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders, where she also served as psychodrama trainer for the Caron Foundation’s Family Education Program and ran Multiple Family Groups for eight years at Renfrew. A published author on trauma and eating disorders, she has guest lectured at numerous universities, treatment centers, and professional organizations.
Currently, Colleen maintains a private practice specializing in eating disorders, TBI, trauma and related issues, working with individuals, families, and groups. She is actively training through the Catharsis Drama Therapy & Psychodrama Institute, as well as Tele’Drama International, where she also teaches internationally.
For the past seven years, Colleen has expanded her clinical and research focus to explore the connection between traumatic brain injury (TBI), trauma, and spontaneity in recovery. Her innovative “MEALS” program for eating disorders has received international recognition for its integrative, action-based approach to healing.
Individual Counseling, Couples &Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Personal Growth Retreats, Psychodrama Training for Professionals
I see the whole person. I work eclectically with the many forms of therapy I have trained in over 35 years as a therapist from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) through the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping. There is no one fit for a person and therapy is a dance where you guide your clients between steps so they can soar alone. They need you to lead where they need extra safety for containment and expansion, then they take the lead, and you flow clinically with them. As a Drama Therapist and Psychodramatist, my primary focus is to improve spontaneity of self through action methods. This is whatever the client needs at the time. My focus is to help you feel seen so you can see yourself.
Traumatic Brain Injury, Trauma Therapy, Eating Disorders, Addictions, Couples, Groups, Family, Spirituality Having worked in various psychiatric milieu, I have served almost every population from children through our wise old sages; addictions, eating disorders, trauma and co-occurring disorders
I have a master’s degree (MA) in Drama Therapy. I am a board-certified trainer, educator, and practitioner of Psychodrama. (TEP) I am a certified teledrama practitioner. (CTP-3) I am a Therapeutic Spiral Model (TSM) practitioner for the treatment of trauma. I am trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and EFT tapping. I am currently working on EMDR and CBIS certifications.
I have been a working therapist for 35 years. I have worked in Addiction Clinics, Psychiatric Hospitals and Residential Treatment facilities, as well as my private practice. I have created trauma programs in two hospitals and led the family education at one, while training therapists to run large group multiple family therapy at another treatment facility.