Hello, I am Joann Silva, Life has a way of constantly throwing the unexpected at us. Do you believe you are not up to the challenges that are piling up? Do you think you are just recycling old life issues? Strategies that used to help you cope do not work or you have outgrown them? No issue is too small or too big. With over 45 years in this field, I believe I have encountered almost every kind of human trauma and can help you bring yourself back to peacefulness and joy in living. I have years of being a great listener - funny and heartfelt and skilled at helping my clients find their confidence and joy, and reset their resilience to tackle life's long list of hits. I am a student of nature and human nature. I will always look to help you see all of your health and strength and nature responses to stress. As you educate me about you and your life, and the things that work and do not work, we will put together the most ancient and newest wisdom and skills undo your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual struggles. We will work to lessen or eliminate those symptoms of distress called anxiety, depression and the myriad of other symptoms that are confusing and overwhelming. We will work to help you find your center, your peace, passion and use all of the past struggles to empower you again. My goal for each session is to lessen your stress or upset, to offer laughter to break up pain, to bring stories and wisdom to help with your concerns and new ways to master the internal and external challenges you are facing. I look forward to walking a bit with you down that road to a new joy.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Critical for very good treatment is building a comfortable, trusting working relationship. The first session helps lay the foundation for this. This session gives you a sense of how we would work together. It is a time to review how I will be there for you, during crisis, with needs letters to Md, your HIPPA confidentiality. And for you, you will tell me why therapy now, what you are looking for in support, coping skills, healing and goals for the work we do together. I will do a brief overview of any disruptions to your daily life, sleep, appetite, energy, focus, etc. We will figure out the schedule of sessions to start, usually weekly for a time and the best time and days for you. I will answer questions about my experience about the situation, issues, you are dealing with. And mostly, I want you to have time to feel safe and comfortable, heard and valued. Most important to me is that this first session gives you a sense of the therapy sessions being interesting, helpful, lowering your stress, answering your questions about human nature and the the results of the human body's actions and reactions under stress. I do look forward to meeting and working with you.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Having over 45 years of experience in almost all mental health settings, I dedicate myself to the highest and best health for my clients. If Depression, Anxiety, Grief, Trauma, Chronic Panic, Medical issues and resulting effects on your daily function and random neurological symptoms or neuro divergence is part of your daily reality, I work to help you move to your level of comfort with the uniqueness of your humanness. And as you want, to lessen any distress or develop alternative methods to meet educational, vocational and societal expectations, with joy and confidence. If issues are creating distress and doubt, my work helps sort the wheat from the chaff. I use your best learning methods to strengthen your sense of self, passions, hopes and life paths. My niche is supporting you to go inside yourself and look outside yourself to gain an understanding... And I want your to return to a place of hope and joy and understand the great achievement you accomplished regaining your nature self after so much inner pain.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
I work with adults from age 18 to 100. Preferably women, but I do get along well with men and bring as great a compassion to men's issues and suffering. Client wanting to focus on relationships, communication, spirituality, stress, life change are the issues and changes in life stage, trauma would find I can follow you in undoing the past, present and future that is affected by those difficult situations. Also, I have over a decade of work with clients dealing with chronic pain and or autoimmune disorders, further complicating depression, anxiety, racing mind, trauma scars or daily stress. I have work with and am honored to be a support and help to any current or retired military or their spouses.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Mindfulness has been part of my daily life over 35 years. It is fundamental to how we alert our body to fear. Mindfulness is said to work as well as anti-anxiety medications. And the process is as natural as our natural response to perceived danger in our daily life. I use this because it is a very quick hard wired brain tool to help with stress related issues.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral therapy paired with mindfulness gives us the most straight forward self care tools to lessen symptoms and then retraining the brain paths to default to personal choice, power, confidence and ability to react to daily life stressors at the correct level of emotional and cognitive and physiological response to allow us to be the master of our self in the best and worst situations, becoming our own warriors again.
Trauma Informed Care
Trauma affects the person that was victimized in the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual domains. Trauma informed care is grounded in the therapist following the client whether they need to grieve, have a witness, question why, identify and eliminate negative self identities. This approach moves with the client through past, future and present as the client is prompted to shared and process the trauma. It gives the time, to clear the pain inside our body from our body trying to cope with situations that were damaging, overwhelming and hurtful and has robbed us of our joy and drive and personal gifts and life goals.
Transpersonal
Transpersonal is very important in identifying again and reaffirming our life mission, purpose and greatest passions. Transpersonal moves us to our center, our soul, our healthy self that has retreated deep inside, due to the internal or external pain and suffering we have endured. It is realigning the soul with the temporal self that is crying out to enjoy life again.
2 ratings with written reviews
June 30, 2025
Thank yo, Jo, for listening and making thoughtful suggestions to help me problem solve!
March 27, 2025
Really appreciate working with you Jo. Thank you for the care and support.