Ian Silverness, AMFT

Do you feel frustrated, blocked, or stuck in a part of your relationship? Maybe you are finding yourself in the same patterns over and over again. Or maybe you are looking to have more intimacy and connection with your partner, but something just keeps getting in the way. Whatever it is that is bringing you here, I want to honor the first step that is coming to couples therapy.

I believe that relationships and the quality of our relationships are one of the most important arenas of our lives. Building a loving, supportive, passionate, and safe relationship often takes work. Your might find that your partner brings up parts of you that don’t come up with anyone else. This can be both beautiful and also quite challening. Through the doorway of relationship, I support couples to create transformation by developing more intimacy and awareness in the relationship and in themselves.

My approach to couples therapy is warm, understanding, and experiential. My experience supporting couples involves pre-marital therapy, working on communication, navigating sex and intimacy challenges, and helping partners to feel more fully themselves in their relationships. By paying attention to what is happening in the present moment in your thoughts, feelings, and body, we notice different openings to connection and authenticity. Together, we walk towards wholeness and towards a more satisfying relationship.

Background:

Before becoming a therapist I worked as a Spanish teacher, non-profit worker, and coach. I also grew up in Italy and developed an appreciation for soccer, languages, and intercultural relationships. My own healing journey has been an ongoing process of learning to listen to and honor the quiet places in myself that hold tremendous power and truth.

Education

I completed my Master’s in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Integral Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. There, I learned various modalities of couples therapy including EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy) and the Gottman Institute. I have also trained in Hakomi, a mindfulness-based therapy, as well as a branch of Hakomi specifically for couples work called Mindfulness Based Couples Therapy. By working with the body-mind connection in the present moment, powerful shifts can often happen.

In My Free Time I…

Go on walks outside, spend time in meditation and contemplation, watch soccer, learn to play tennis, and spend time with loved ones!