PhD, Social Welfare, The Graduate Center (CUNY), 2023
MA, Psychology, The City College of New York (CUNY), 2014
MAAT, Art Therapy, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 1998
BFA, New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University (SUNY), 1996

Books
Awais, Y. J., & Blausey, D. (2021). Foundations of art therapy supervision: Creating common ground for supervisees and supervisors. Routledge. 

Refereed Articles
Awais, Y. J. (2022). Naming who performs care: Occupational segregation in the creative arts therapies. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 80(2022). 

Boyce, P.S., Riekert, S. & Awais, Y. J. (2021). CUNY Health & Human Services Programs simulated interprofessional education pilot. International Journal of Nursing and Health Care Science, 01(14), 78.

Buckley, T. R. & Awais, Y. J. (2019). Understanding HIV prevention with college going Black women: An NIMH-funded pilot study. Journal of Multicultural Counseling Development, 47(2), 74-89.

Keselman, M. & Awais, Y. J. (2018). Exploration of cultural humility in medical art therapy. Art Therapy, 35(2), 77-87.

Ottemiller, D. D. & Awais, Y. J. (2016). A model for art therapists in community-based practice. Art Therapy, 33(3), 144-150. 

Awais, Y. J. & Yali, A. M. (2015). Efforts in increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the field of art therapy. Art Therapy, 33(3), 112-119. 

Awais, Y. J. & Yali, A. M. (2013). A call for diversity: The need to recruit and retain ethnic minority art therapy students in art therapy. Art Therapy, 30(3), 130-134. 

Book Chapters
Awais, Y. J. & Adelman, L. (2019). Making Artistic Noise: Amplifying the voices of court involved youth. In M. Beberian & B. Davis (Eds.), Art therapy practices for resilient youth. Routledge.

Awais, Y. J. & Keselman, M. (2019). Culturally responsive care for art therapists in medical settings. In D. Elkis-Abuhoff & M. Gaydos (Eds.), Art and expressive therapies within the medical model: Clinical applications (pp. 224-234). Routledge.

Awais, Y. J. (2013). Art therapy in Saudi Arabia. In P. Howie, S. Prasad, & J. Kristel (Eds.), Using Art Therapy with Diverse Populations: Crossing Cultures and Abilities (pp. 267-276). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Blausey, D. & Awais, Y. J. (2013). HIV/AIDS: Reflecting on 15 Years in New York City. In P. Howie, S. Prasad, & J. Kristel (Eds.), Using Art Therapy with Diverse Populations: Crossing Cultures and Abilities (pp. 214-224). Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia, PA
Art and Change Grant, 2016

American Art Therapy Association, Alexandria, VA
Best Paper Award, 2016
Rawley Silver Research Award, 2013

Psychology Department, City College of New York, New York, NY
Kenneth B. Clark Award, 2014

Japan-U.S. Community Education and Exchange, Tokyo, Japan
Fellow, Nichibei Pathfinding Opportunity Program, granted to US non-profit professionals to partner with non-profits in Japan to share best practices for NPOs and NGOs (partnered with Tokyo Shure Free School), 2001

Keynotes
Awais, Y. J. (2023, June). Disrupting systems, actualizing change (It’s impossible to do this work if you don’t think change is possible). Keynote presented at The Institute for Therapy through the Arts Integrated Creative Arts Therapy Conference, Evanston, IL. 

Awais, Y. J. (2015, November). Embracing difference: Culture and the therapeutic relationship in art therapy. Meeting of the Illinois Art Therapy Association, Chicago, IL. 

Awais, Y. J. (2015, March). To be or not to be: Culture and the therapeutic relationship in art therapy. Meeting of the New York Art Therapy Association, White Plains, NY. 

Awais, Y. J. (2014, October). Acknowledging and accepting difference: Art therapy and diversity. Keynote presented at the meeting of the New Jersey Art Therapy Association, Fairfield, NJ. 

Awais, Y. J. (2013, October). Deconstructing school violence: Culture, morality and art therapy as an intervention. Keynote presented at the international meeting of the Korean Art Therapy Association, Gyeongju, Korea. 

Refereed
Awais, Y. J., & Williams, B. (2024, January). Utilizing arts-based research methodology to center marginalized voices through an intersectional lens. Workshop presented at the meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, D.C. 

Awais, Y. J., & Blausey, D. (2022, September). When memories diverge: Art therapies supervision across differences. Workshop presented at the meeting of the European Consortium of Arts Therapy Educators, Vilnius, Lithuania.

Sajnani, N., Talwar, S., Gipson, L., Awais, Y. J., Williams, B., Hadley, S., & Norris, M. (2019, September). Imagining utopias: Critical pedagogy in the arts therapies. Panel presented at the meeting of the European Consortium of Arts Therapy Educators, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.

Awais, Y. J. & Reynolds, A. (2018, June). More than talk: Dismantling white supremacy using creative methods. Arts engagement workshop presented at the meeting of the Critical Ethnic Studies Association, Vancouver, Canada.

Bane, T., Awais, Y. J., Brown, T., Cabrera, J., & Freeman, A. (2018, January). Unequal and underfunded: Incorporating social welfare doctoral education into the 40 hour work week. Roundtable presented at the meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research, Washington, D.C. 

Buckley, T. R., Lui, W., Baum-Tuccillo, M., & Awais, Y. J., (2017, August). Beyond cultural competence: Self-reflexivity to address power and privilege. Skill building session presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C. 

Awais, Y. J. & Yali, A. M. (2015, August). Efforts in increasing racial and ethnic diversity in the field of art therapy. Poster presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada. 

Awais, Y. J., Adelman, L., Paul, J., & Buseman, R. (2014, September). Art as a bridge: Crossing the borders of artist - educator - therapist - offender - community member. Panel presented at the Arcus Center for Social Justice and Leadership (un)Conference, Kalamazoo, MI.