clinically serious, not self-serious
When insight alone stopped cutting it, I built something with real weight.
Trained across Applied Clinical Positive Psychology, Transpersonal and Reichian Psychotherapy, Gestalt, Somatic Applications, and AEDP, approaches chosen because they treat the whole person, not just the symptom in front of them.
Sound baths and Bali retreats? Keep them, no judgment here. This space just lives on the clinical side of that same coin.
by a human who studies humans
Abraham Sharkas is a therapist, PhD student, researcher, and a full-time nerd who somehow turned nervous system literacy into a career path.
He works where psychology, movement, story, and culture overlap, because mental health is never just mental, and talking is only one part of how people change.
His approach blends clinical rigor with trauma-informed care, somatic depth, and a grounded respect for science, narrative, and lived experience, drawing from positive psychology, psychosomatic work, transpersonal research, and contemplative traditions taken seriously rather than ceremonially.
His influences include philosophy, movement, cultural identity, and a lifelong curiosity about what actually helps people remember who they are. He's also published four books of poetry, and is writing more.
No crystals. No shortcuts. No theatrics. Just care that honors your complexity, and actually works with it.
the long version
Where the work actually happens.
Three threads, clinical, academic, and communal, that all pull from the same root.
Clinical counselor at Layers Therapy, offering integrative care grounded in culture, the body, and what actually helps people change, not just what looks good in a treatment plan. Work spans individuals and groups, always tailored to the person, not the protocol.
Clinical training draws from Positive Psychology, Gestalt, somatic approaches, AEDP, mindfulness, transpersonal psychology, and strength-based models.
Academic path: B.A. in Psychology from Arizona State University, M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Walden University, advanced Applied Positive Psychology coursework in the United Kingdom, and specialized training in psychedelic integration, including Ketamine, Psilocybin, and MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy through Fluence and MAPS networks.
Currently finishing a Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision at Walden University while teaching at the university level. Invited speaker at universities across the United States and internationally, including China, the United Kingdom, and the Levant.
As a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision, a meaningful amount of time goes toward one question: how do people learn to sit with others in crisis, and how can we teach that better. Learning should be inclusive, embodied, culturally aware, and rigorous enough to shape clinicians who can handle real complexity, not just pass exams.
Emerging counselors are supported in developing what actually matters in the room: presence, critical thinking, cultural humility, and the ability to work with mind and body together. Curiosity over certainty, depth over performance, because the clinicians who change lives aren't the ones who memorized the DSM, they're the ones who learned how to truly show up.
Developing as a clinician is a shared, lifelong craft, not something mastered alone, and not something that stops after licensure.
For over two years, served as Acting President-Elect of Bab al Ilm, a nonprofit dedicated to community, culture, and the kind of storytelling that actually invites real conversation, not the kind that performs it. The work included gatherings, workshops, and creative spaces bringing together seekers, social changemakers, and everyone in between.
The aim was simple and, honestly, a little countercultural: build bridges instead of echo chambers. Spaces prioritized people who rarely feel at home in traditional dialogue, LGBTQIA+ communities, BIPOC communities, immigrants, interfaith groups, so they could speak and actually be heard. Not tolerated. Heard.
Leadership has never been about titles or volume. It's grounded in listening well, showing up consistently, and helping people feel seen, which, if you think about it, is exactly what good therapy is too.
let's talk
Got thoughts? Projects?
A rant about wellness culture?
I love connecting with people who care about psychology, culture, and being human in real ways.
Start the Conversation— Abraham
No crystal consultations or moon-sign readings. Also not currently accepting applications for spirit animal readings or crypto therapy startups. (Lol.)