OUR therapists
who we are
maggie cohen silvaine
Hello and welcome! I’m Maggie. I’m a queer, anti-Zionist, Jewish, white person and therapist who works with individuals ages 25+. I specialize in integrative forms of healing, which means that we think about your thoughts, emotions, and body in our work together. We consider the effects of past events, such as pieces from your childhood; we talk about your present experience; and we collaborate about what you’d like to see for your future. I am deeply passionate about supporting queer and trans clients — I love working with my own community. I am particularly passionate about working with folks who were assigned female at birth, no matter what gender(s) they identify with now, and folks who have lived experiences of misogyny. I am humbly committed to anti-racism, and I aim to bring an intersectional feminist, queer approach to therapy with my clients. I strive to approach my work with an attitude of partnership, non-violence, empathy, warmth and humor (where appropriate).
I'm currently pursuing my Certification in IFS Therapy, and seeking more training in Neurodivergent-affirming therapy.
I WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS ON ISSUES SUCH AS:
-
complex trauma
-
navigating family and relationships
-
recovery from emotionally immature parenting
-
adult children of Alcoholics/Addicts
-
sexuality, especially queer or questioning people
-
polyamory & consensual/ethical non-monogamy
-
gender identity
-
reproductive justice (including abortion)
-
working with changemakers (organizers, activists, social workers, therapists, etc)
-
divorce or contemplating separation
-
systemic oppression
-
incorporating anti-racism into therapy
-
Depression and anxiety
-
Heath At Every Size (HAES) approach
-
experiences as a fat person
-
relationship conflict & boundary-setting
-
recovering from purity culture
-
sexual trauma
-
parenting or questioning parenting
-
folks who are long established in 12-step recovery or grew up in these programs
I started my own private practice in 2018. Prior to being in private practice, I worked in the field of alternatives to incarceration, sex worker rights, reproductive justice, and supporting survivors of sexual and domestic violence in New York City and North Carolina. Away from work, I spend time with my spouse and our beloved rescue pit, seeing friends, working on our fixer-upper house, and watching reality TV.
To schedule a free consultation with me, please click here to book yourself or reach out at the contact page.
Massachusetts LICSW License #126144
North Carolina LCSW License #C013221
APPROACH
Relational & Attachment-Based:
I draw from a style of therapy called relational therapy, which means that we talk about and prioritize the relationship between you and me, and that we expect patterns from other relationships to show up in therapy. Rather than ignoring those patterns, we talk about them safely and directly. I also believe that our earliest relationships with our caregivers form a significant blueprint for how we relate to others. We will consider your earliest experiences and how they may be continuing to impact you today.
Intersectional:
My practice is unequivocally based on principles of anti-oppression and anti-racism, and I view humans through the lens of our intersecting identities, which may include privilege and marginalization at the same time. Though we often focus on interpersonal experiences, we will hold the context of broader systems of power throughout our sessions. I welcome my clients sharing their perspectives with me, and I will do my best to make connections to broader systems, such as sexism, racism, homophobia, anti-transness, and fatphobia, as they arise.
Somatic:
Many of us are taught to see ourselves as brains and minds that are separate from the bodies we inhabit. In body-based psychotherapy, we learn to check in with our bodies throughout session, identify where we feel emotions inside, and acknowledge the effects of both personal and systemic experiences on the body. As a trauma-informed therapist, one of my intentions is to help you move at the right pace for your system and learn to trust yourself. I aim to bring gentleness and curiosity to these practices, and encourage you to slow down and listen to your own sensations and emotions both during and outside of session.
I MAY BE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU AS A THERAPIST IF:
-
You understand that healing takes time, and you are ready to invest in this process
-
You're curious about the process and curious about yourself (you don’t need to know everything or have any experience with therapy!)
-
You're interested in IFS/parts work/somatic work
-
You're seeking deep, meaningful change in how you relate to yourself and others
-
You make observations throughout the week about what you want to talk about in therapy
-
You're ready to commit to weekly/regular sessions
-
You want someone who will ask questions and provide direct, compassionate feedback
-
You want someone who will invite you to think about broader systems and cultural contexts
-
You're curious about your own relational patterns and how those may show up in therapy
-
You want to process the effects of lived experiences of misogyny and/or AFAB socialization
WE PROBABLY AREN'T A GOOD FIT IF YOU:
-
Are looking for someone to tell you what to talk about during session
-
Want a therapist to teach you skills or give you worksheets
-
Are not interested in IFS/parts work or somatic work
-
Expect therapy to be a quick fix or only want to do short-term work (less than a year)
-
Do not want to meet weekly/consistently
-
Are averse to thinking about power and privilege in your own life, especially if you have more privileged identities
primary modalities
1) Internal Family Systems
2) Body-Based Therapy
3) Anti-Oppressive Therapy
QUALIFICATIONS
MSW, Clinical Social Work
2016; Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College; New York, NY
B.A. American Studies (Race & Ethnic Studies)
Wesleyan University; Middletown, CT
IFS Level 1 Queer Affinity Training
January 2024; online
Level II: Developmental Injury
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, April 2021; online
Assistant to Level I and II Training
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, 2020 & 2022
Movement for Trauma, Level 1 — Jane Clapp
Jungian Somatics for Conscious Living, March 2021; online
Level I: Affect Dysregulation, Survival Defenses & Traumatic Memory
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, 2019; Pittsboro, NC
Level II Integrated Movement Therapy
2017; Plain, WA
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
(TF-CBT) 2016; New York, NY
500 Hour Vinyasa Advanced YTT
Three Sisters Yoga, 2013; New York, NY
Trauma-Sensitive Yoga
The Trauma Center @ JRI, 2012; Lenox, MA
200 Hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training
2010; Asheville, NC
sam pranger silvaine
Welcome! I’m Sam, and I’m a relationship therapist. I began working with couples and relationships because I believe healthy relationships are an essential pathway to individual and collective healing. In our work together, we will identify some of your core relationship patterns and find their origins, often stemming from your childhood. I’ll help you become more aware of your individual thoughts, feelings, and underlying motives in your relationship so that you can learn to understand and take responsibility for the impacts of your behaviors on each other. Ultimately, I hope to help you find ways to care for each other that feel nourishing, consensual, and interdependent.
I work with couples and relationships of all types, though I specialize in working with queer folks, including those in relationships in which at least one partner is non-cisgender. Additionally, I have expertise in polyamory and ethical/consensual non-monogamy. That said, I also enjoy and work extensively with cisgender couples in straight, monogamous relationships, especially those interested in challenging societal and normative gender expectations.
SOME OF WHAT I WORK ON WITH COUPLES INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
-
Improving communication – moving away from feeling like you get nowhere in your conversations or that you’re talking in circles/past each other
-
Navigating non-monogamy or considering opening your relationship, including issues related to boundaries and jealousy
-
Challenging gender roles and expectations – in a household, in parenting, in sex – to have a more fulfilling, vulnerable, and authentic relationship
-
Increasing sexual intimacy and satisfaction
-
Repairing past hurts that continue to impact your relationship now
-
Navigating co-parenting, including as new parents or in anticipation of becoming new parents
-
Discerning whether or not your current relationship is what is best for you, or redefining the roles you want to have for each other
-
Understanding the impacts of trauma, mental health, and/or neurotype on your relationship
-
Preparing to move in together
Prior to being in private practice (and after working in the field of ecological conservation), I worked at college counseling centers and also had a brief stint in academia.
Outside of work, I love spending time with my spouse, friends, and dog; working on a never-ending list of house projects; exploring and playing outdoors; and trying to perfect the wood fired pizza (I haven’t).
Massachusetts LMHC License #10000537
North Carolina LMHC License #11854
APPROACH
I pull from multiple theoretical sources for couples and relationship therapy but am predominantly informed by the following: Emotionally Focused Therapy, developed by Dr. Sue Johnson; Relational Life Therapy, developed by Terry Real; and Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFS couples therapy), largely developed by Toni Herbine-Blank. However, most couples modalities have been developed under normative cultural conditions (i.e. for cisgender, heterosexual, monogamous couples who cohabitate). Therefore, these modalities can have limitations, so I also integrate queer and feminist theories into our work together. We can explore this more in detail as relevant to you, and I commit to working hard in challenging some of the antiquated and sometimes harmful societal relationship expectations – regardless of gender identity, gender socialization, or sexuality – in our work together.
I MAY BE A GOOD FIT FOR YOU AS A THERAPIST IF:
-
You understand that healing takes time, and you are ready to invest in this process
-
You feel ready to take responsibility for your impact on your partner(s)
-
You are curious about what your partner(s) may need from you
-
You feel open to exploring your positions of privilege and marginalization, as relevant to your relationship
-
You are open to direct, compassionate feedback from your therapist and/or your partner(s)
-
You believe that relationships take skill, and you want to develop more of it
WE PROBABLY AREN'T A GOOD FIT IF:
-
There have been instances of physical, sexual, or psychological violence or manipulation in your relationship
-
You have very frequent, sometimes explosive arguments with your partner(s)
-
You don’t want to do work outside of session to continue improving your relationship
-
You don’t believe that your past (i.e. childhood) has an impact on your present and/or don’t want to change the impact that it has
-
You think you don’t need to do anything differently in your relationship, and you’re mostly hoping your partner will change
primary modalities
1) Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
2) Relational Life Therapy
3) Intimacy from the Inside Out
(IFS couples therapy)
QUALIFICATIONS
MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
2015 , Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
BA in Environmental Studies
University of PIttsburgh: Pittsburgh, PA
EFT Externship
January 2020, Atlanta
EFT Core Skills
Expected Completion Fall 2024, Boston
Relational Life Therapy Level 1
Online
IFS Online Circle
Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO)
Online
