Dr. Kia Silva, Atlanta Prosper Psychological Services

10/04/2025

There is hope! 🫶🏿

08/27/2025

📖🙏🏿

Goodnight & Sweet Dreams ���

08/16/2025

Great blog post by Midtown Psychotherapy’s very own Dr. Drew (we actually have two of our very own Dr. Drews😊)! Adult & Teen ASD skills groups starting soon!

Accessible, research-based articles on autism, psychological evaluation, identity, and mental health.

08/16/2025

A note on shame:

Unaddressed shame can be lethal and I don’t mean by su***de although of course that is a real concern for some. I’m referring to the behaviors someone has to engage in and the stories one has to tell to keep shame at bay. Whether you find yourself avoiding friends, your doctors, time without screens or substances, or the truth, shame will trigger behaviors that unravel the central thread of your life. Shame associated behaviors will sometimes kill your body, but they almost always kill the parts of you that make you feel like yourself. What I find particularly sad is that if you’re really good at masking, you will go on about your daily life and no one will realize you died. It’s never useful to obey shame or believe the harsh criticisms that creep up in your moments of solitude, but it is useful to listen to what shame is telling you about what you need to face in order to love yourself again. Even if you don’t remember self love, you definitely didn’t enter this world with self loathing. For those who have done the deep dark shadow work and released attachments and bared your soul, you are not exempt. You will be called to confront yourself again and you probably won’t want to because you did the hard work and you thought you were done and my god you are so so tired. It’s okay to be tired. It’s okay to feel done even when you have more to do. Although it might feel like you’re being punished, you’re not being called to the principal’s office, you’re being called home to yourself. In this home, the house of the true self, there is endless love, compassion, and forgiveness and it’s a good thing because you’ll need all of it. From one soul to another from the light days to the dark nights, hear me when I say I know shame is scary, but please don’t turn away for too long. I’ll keep the light on for you.

11/04/2024

Sometimes I get bored with posting or I run out of words or my battery dies (phone and/or emotional), but I try my best to chime in with birthday reflections each year. This year feels different, yet here I am, here I go…

A couple of weeks ago I was in my mother’s bedroom packing her things, a task that anyone who has experienced loss understands is filled with a range of emotions. Thankfully I had the luxury of taking my time to pause and look through pictures and choose sentimental items that my brother and I could keep and some we could share with loved ones. Somehow even at my slow pace, I managed to knock over a glass decoration filled with marbles. As I watched the shards of glass and marbles crash to the floor, I figured I could either collapse in tears or I could just start cleaning up, so naturally I did both! As I reflect on my birthday today I think this is, like everyday since my fun-loving, hilarious, opinionated, sweet mom transitioned in September, another chance to choose both! I will grieve with my whole body and soul AND celebrate all of the beautiful, messy, sometimes blissfully uneventful days that I get to live. I’ll do it for my mom, for myself, and for all of us living with grief! Life is fleeting, love is eternal!

P.S. I took the first picture as I was cleaning that day because I noticed I was wearing my mother’s peace bracelet and I laughed thinking that it was a true illustration of making peace with losing my marbles!

03/12/2024

One of the ways I celebrate Women’s History and Black History (which for me doesn’t start or end in February) is to embrace that there are multiple ways to lead. My supervision style emphasizes empowerment and support.

As a supervisor, I collaborate with the clinical team at Midtown Psychotherapy Associates to provide an environment that helps postdocs identify growth areas and strategize on how to best serve their clients. I have a passion for working with postdocs to increase confidence in their strengths and unique perspectives as they develop their identity as psychologists. I’m also invested in collaborating to increase accessibility and diversity on caseloads, while upholding the value of the postdoc’s, time, energy, and financial needs/goals.

For anyone interested in learning more about MPA’s Fall 2024 postdoc opportunities, click the link below (in bio on Instagram) to apply!

https://www.midtownpsychotherapy.org/join-us

12/25/2023

Whenever my family poses for a pic I put it in video mode with the hopes that at some point I’ll catch everyone looking relatively happy and facing in the same general direction. Neurodiversity, strong personalities, and attitudes be damned! 😂 I take a screenshot then edit the hell out of the pics (the out takes are pretty funny, but they also include me scowling as I bark directions), then I post. Real life isn’t that way. We don’t get the best from life by deleting the parts that don’t fit our picture perfect ideals. Living life fully means acknowledging the grief and the heartbreak right alongside the happiest times. I’m thankful for the lessons (even as I PRAY that I can have fewer lessons to learn next year 😊) and all of the beautifully messy experiences that this life and this holiday season have to offer. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays Instafam! Sending love to you all! 🎄🎁

11/13/2023

At some point in the past month, as I learned of the massacres of the Palestinian people and inhumane/deadly conditions in Gaza, I totally violated my media consumption boundaries. I (inadvertently?) crossed the line into self harm, and dysregulated the hell outta my nervous system. I think it started because I was alarmed by the lack of coverage where I naively expected to find it, so I started seeking out different sources which were often accompanied by photos/videos, until I found myself dazed and depleted. By no means is my experience unique. I’m sharing this because I’ve been struggling to formulate something helpful to post and I understand now that I need to be transparent about the fact that this time, balance and boundaries have eluded me. None of us are exempt from vicarious trauma. It’s important to take space for ourselves when possible and support each other, so that we don’t get so burned out that we can’t speak up.

When evaluating/formulating opinions about something that evokes such visceral emotions and polarizing views, I refer back to my value system. I’ve found that when I do this, things become clearer, and also, unfortunately, a whole lot messier. It’s often a process of disillusionment, reorganization, and grief. I’ve gone through similar value assessments in my relationship with Christianity, politics, and even with friends and family. It can be a painful process. I keep doing it and I hope you will too, because I believe it’s a necessary part of growth, progress, and peace. I saw something recently that said freedom is contagious and that rings true to me. We can and we ARE changing the world together.

11/04/2023

Another trip around the sun and here I am! If you’re reading this, that means we’re here together taking on the challenge of a new day and I am SO proud of us! I don’t know if every year of the 40s is full of intense emotions and lessons (they skipped that part in my handbook 🤔), but either way I’m here for it. I continue to feel the growing pains in my circle and the tragedies in this world, and yet, in the midst of it all, life still has so much beauty and love to offer. I say every year, and I’ll say again today, I feel super grateful that my family and friends chose to travel together again in this life. I’m especially honored that my boys and my bonus babe chose me and that they give me grace as I figure out this mommy thing! One of the wild things about being a therapist is that there’s a whole group of people I hold in my heart that I can never talk about! Please know that even if you’re part of my confidential crew, I count you among my blessings too!

For birthday 42, I wish for peace, that we’ll be defined by our humanity, and guided by the love in our hearts. I wish that when one mother grieves the whole world will feel her pain so deeply that any narrative that tries to make us think we have to turn a blind eye will be shattered! I wish for collective healing. I’m sure I could keep going, but for now, light a candle for me Instafam, make a wish, it’s my birthday! 🎂 🤩 #42

10/17/2023

Good times at our Hibachi 🔥 send off for Cle! We learned a lot together (my first experience as a postdoc sup) & I’m so happy to see you making big moves & doing great things in your practice and beyond!

09/29/2023

Public speaking was something that used to make my stomach ache for days before an event. I’d get in my head about what I would say and what people would think about everything from my outfit to my education. My journey in rediscovering self acceptance taught me a lot about the root/role of anxiety (hint: if it’s not about love it’s about fear); one thing I now know for certain is that when I believe in the message and I’m grounded in love, there’s no place for the inner critic/director/ micro-manager! I’ve learned that when I’m speaking my truth and creating space for others to share theirs, the message will flow freely.

Last night we got together to talk about how each of us can use our passion/calling to shift to a perspective of wellness rather than reinforcing a system that perpetuates sickness. I believe we’re all here to heal inter-generational traumas and leave this world better than we found it! With that in mind, I happily tucked my inner manager in early last night and gently assured her that we would always be safe when answering the call of life’s purpose!

08/09/2023

True love is when your kid loves squeezing your round cheeks SO much that he wants your wig off for full access! I talk a whole lot about body acceptance, but Jordan offers the experiential version with cheek squeezes & belly jiggles! 🤣It’s moments like these when I’m the most thankful for this body and the experiences it provides! 😂 💙