OUR therapists
who we are
maggie cohen silvaine, licsw
Hello and welcome! I’m Maggie. I’m a queer, 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, though I warmly welcome folks who do not identify as LGBQ+ and trans. I am humbly committed to anti-racism, and I aim to bring an intersectional feminist 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). It sounds cliche to say, but I truly love being a therapist, and I hope you can feel that if we choose to work together.
I'm currently pursuing my Certification in IFS Therapy, and I'm assisting the Queer Affinity Level 1 IFS training in Winter of 2024.
Spring 2025: I'll be getting trained in EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a psychotherapy treatment that is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories.
I WORK WITH INDIVIDUALS ON ISSUES SUCH AS:
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complex trauma
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polyamory & consensual/ethical non-monogamy
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queer or questioning people
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relationship anxiety
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sex-positive approach to sexuality and desire
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gaining deeper self-understanding and introspection
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navigating family and relationships
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recovery from emotionally immature parenting
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adult children of Alcoholics/Addicts
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gender identity
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reproductive justice (including abortion)
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fertility, infertility, miscarriage
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grief - individual and collective
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existential questions and making meaning
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systemic oppression
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incorporating anti-racism into therapy
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depression and anxiety​
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fat liberation approach
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relationship conflict & boundary-setting
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divorce or contemplating separation
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recovering from purity culture
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sexual trauma, including childhood sexual abuse
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parenting or questioning parenting
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a nuanced approach to anti-semitism and Jewish identity
I have specialized training in developmental and child trauma from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network in my MSW program, in addition to extensive experience in trauma-informed body-based approaches from my years as a yoga instructor, facilitator, and Social Worker.
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. I identify with having been a part of movement and organizing work, and I came up in politically left spaces from my early teens. Before I became a Social Worker, I also attended Union Theological Seminary for a stint, a progressive, nondenominational Seminary that emphasized Liberation and Womanist theology.
Away from work, I spend time with my spouse and our beloved senior rescue pit, seeing friends, biking, working on our fixer-upper house and garden, and watching low-stakes TV.
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To schedule a free consultation with me, please reach out at the contact page. If you're a clinical social worker who is interested in supervision, please reach out and let me know that, too.
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.
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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.
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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:
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You understand that healing takes time, and you are ready to invest in this process
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You're curious about the process and curious about yourself (you don’t need to know everything or have any experience with therapy!)
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You're interested in IFS/parts work
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You're seeking deep, meaningful change in how you relate to yourself and others
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You make observations throughout the week about what you want to talk about in therapy
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You're ready to commit to weekly or biweekly, regular sessions
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You want someone who will ask questions and provide direct, compassionate feedback
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You want someone who will invite you to think about broader systems and cultural contexts
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You're curious about your own relational patterns and how those may show up in therapy​
WE PROBABLY AREN'T A GOOD FIT IF YOU:
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Are looking for someone to tell you what to talk about during session, rather than offer guidance basd on your own curiosity (I can help with figuring out what you're curious about!)
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Mainly want a therapist to teach you skills or give you worksheets
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Are not interested in IFS/parts work or somatic work
You don’t believe that your past (i.e. childhood or family) has an impact on your present and/or don’t want to change the impact that it has
Expect therapy to be a quick fix or only want to do short-term work (less than a year)
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Do not want to meet weekly or biweekly to start
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Are averse to thinking about power and privilege in your own life, especially if you have more privileged identities
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Please see the FAQs page for more information about issues I don't specialize in, or reach out with questions.
primary modalities
1) Internal Family Systems
2) Body-Based Therapy
3) Anti-Oppressive, relational Therapy
4) EMDR - coming soon
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
EMDR Therapy Basic Training: Institute for Creative Mindfulness
March-April 2025; online
IFS Level 1 Queer Affinity Training
Program Assistant 2024-2025; online
IFS Level 1 Queer Affinity Training
January 2024; online
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Level II: Developmental Injury
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, April 2021; online
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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
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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
Land acknowledgment: We live and work on the unceded territory of the Nipmuc, Pocumtuc, and Nonotuck Peoples, who have stewarded this land for many generations.