Silvia started her career as a drug metabolism scientist for a global pharmaceutical company and has valuable expertise in pharmacokinetics (what the body does to the drug). Silvia noticed that her interest was shifting more towards understanding how the drugs affect the mind and body (pharmacodynamics). As her interest grew and learned more on her own, she finally decided to go back to graduate school. With careful planning she shifted her career to mental health, a field she embraced with great passion.

Silvia found special interest in drugs that lead to substance use disorders and started her new career in a substance abuse clinic helping individuals begin their recovery journey.

Silvia soon realized that most addictions are rooted in traumas and are co-occurring with other mental health challenges; this led her to pursue a CCDP-D certification (Certified Co-occurring Disorders Professional-Diplomate), join DBT teams (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and gain years of expertise in this very effective and widely applicable treatment modality.

In order to help her clients address trauma, Silvia has learned how to deliver EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a very effective treatment modality for certain traumas. Silvia also underwent training in RO-DBT, a treatment that heavily relies on the understanding of Polyvagal Theory and is aimed at helping individuals that are very high functioning and suffering in silence.

Silvia’s experience in hard science provides her with a unique and powerful perspective in the field of mental health and, wherever possible, she specializes in providing evidence-based counseling services designed to empower individuals in managing mental health challenges effectively.

Silvia’s approach integrates proven therapeutic methodologies to facilitate personal growth and resilience. Most importantly, Silvia understands that a treatment modality’s efficacy is rooted in the relationship between the therapist and the client and therefore fosters that relationship with great care and attention regardless of the theoretical framework and approach.

Silvia avidly practices yoga and has become a yoga and breath teacher.