Life can feel like a Jenga tower held together by roles, responsibilities, and the pressure to stay steady when everything around you is shifting. Malka Shaw’s work is guided by a simple belief: Perspective is power. When people understand what is happening within them and around them, they gain the clarity to move from overwhelm to intention.
Malka Shaw, LCSW, is a trauma-focused psychotherapist, educator, and keynote speaker with more than 25 years of experience. Licensed in New York, New Jersey, and Florida, she brings clinical depth and real-world practicality to audiences in healthcare, workplaces, educational settings, and community organizations. She also speaks on relationship dynamics, maternal wellness, and the psychological skills that help people and teams stay connected under pressure.
Her career has spanned frontline crisis counseling, program leadership, and long-term clinical work in private practice, as well as providing trauma support in large-scale community crises, including in the aftermath of 9/11. Her earlier work included serving immigrants and refugees, survivors of domestic violence, youth in foster care, and at-risk adolescents and families. She has also worked in psychiatric day programs, residential facilities, and clinical supervision and management roles, supporting both clients and the professionals who serve them.
Malka is the founder of Kesher Shalom Projects, created in response to the psychological aftershocks of October 7, with a focus on Jewish mental health, antisemitism, and the societal impact of propaganda and polarization. She is also the creator of two applied frameworks used in her trainings: the GUARD System for resilience during ongoing stress and active trauma, and the BRIDGE Protocol, a trauma-informed communication model for engaging individuals impacted by indoctrination, polarization, and radicalization with clarity, boundaries, and compassion.
Across audiences, Malka’s goal is consistent: to help people understand themselves and one another with greater clarity so they can respond instead of react, rebuild trust after adversity, and leave with practical tools.
