Life Cycles Counseling with Adina Silvestri

Life Cycles Counseling with Adina Silvestri I am a licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia who works with children and families. I specialize in treating women with substance abuse issues.

I specialize in treating women with substance abuse issues and eating disorders. I help children who have experienced trauma lead full and healthy lives. I am Adina Silvestri EdD, LPC and I am a licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia, working with children and families. My clinical work also includes providing supervision to counselors-in-training. As an innovative counselor educator, I enjoy teaching aspiring counselors the skills needed to become empathetic, creative counselors. In addition to my clinical work and teaching, I take an active role in the community. I was the 2015 President for the Jaycees, and I work with the Drive for the Blind, raising money and coordinating volunteer projects. I also write a column called "The Counselor’s Corner" for them. Additionally I mentor students at South University. My hobbies include sailing and running.

IFS therapy asks you to meet your parts with understanding.But when those parts are loud, protective, and overwhelmed…Fi...
12/12/2025

IFS therapy asks you to meet your parts with understanding.
But when those parts are loud, protective, and overwhelmed…
Finding your way back to your core Self can feel out of reach.

That’s why ketamine can be such a powerful partner in IFS work.

👉🏻 It softens and gently moves aside the parts that usually take over.

👉🏻 It gives you the space to finally connect with the deeper truth underneath the pain.

👉🏻 And allows you to face and process trauma and painful memories in a safe and supported environment without feeling overwhelmed.

Then, when your system settles, you’ll be better able to work through pent-up grief, anger, and unresolved emotions and develop a more cohesive and fluid sense of self. 💗

Curious how ketamine might support your IFS journey?

Book a free consultation here: https://calendly.com/adina-2/15min


12/11/2025

Disney Pixar's Inside Out movies may be meant for children…
But they're one of the best explanations of Internal Family Systems therapy I've ever seen.

If you've watched them, you've already seen IFS in action.

You know Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger, and Fear? They're parts of Riley's internal system – the same way we all have different parts inside us.

Some parts are protectors. Like Disgust "saving" baby Riley from danger when in reality, it was only broccoli. 😅

They're trying to keep us safe, even when the threat isn't real.

Other parts get exiled – pushed aside because they don't fit the image we're trying to maintain. Sadness gets sidelined so Riley can keep up her positive, happy-kid persona.

We do this too. We might exile the parts that don't fit the "high-achiever" or "I've got it all together" image.

This is what IFS teaches – and what the Inside Out movies show so beautifully: every part has a purpose.

Even the ones we've been taught to ignore or suppress.

When we actually stop and listen to these parts – really understand what they're trying to do for us – we start to heal. We move toward integration instead of inner conflict.

Have you seen the Inside Out movies?

I'm breaking down more connections between the films and IFS therapy in this week's newsletter – including what the movies get right (and what they miss).

Click below to subscribe and get my weekly insights on alternative healing, parts work, and tools to understand your emotions with more compassion and clarity.

https://adina-silvestri.kit.com/

The holidays have a way of convincing us that more is better. 🎁MORE events, MORE hosting, MORE saying yes…Even when your...
12/09/2025

The holidays have a way of convincing us that more is better. 🎁
MORE events, MORE hosting, MORE saying yes…
Even when your body and mind are begging you to say no.

But peace doesn’t come from pushing yourself past your boundaries.

It comes from honoring them.

You’re allowed to choose the version of the holidays that feels good to you and your comfort level.

Even if it looks different from what others expect.

Skipping an event, setting a boundary, or letting go of that idea the “perfect” holiday doesn’t make you difficult or ungrateful.

It makes you human.

And it protects your peace. ❤️‍🩹

Because at the end of the day, your personal peace will always matter more than any tradition, expectation, or holiday script you were taught to follow. 🕊️

What’s one thing you’re choosing *not* to do this holiday season?

Drop it in the comments below. 👇🏻


You’ve done the work.You’ve sat on the couch, talked it out, followed every piece of advice and yet…You still feel stuck...
12/05/2025

You’ve done the work.
You’ve sat on the couch, talked it out, followed every piece of advice and yet…
You still feel stuck. 😔

Our minds can be intimidating places filled with unpleasant thoughts, painful memories, and stubborn beliefs about ourselves or the world.

It’s possible you don’t even understand why you feel the way you do.

Or how you’ve simply come to accept that those dark feelings have always been there.

The truth is, the brain protects us by burying these feelings deep down, making them hard to process.

And talk therapy alone isn’t always enough to reach them.

👉🏻 That’s where Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) comes in.

Ketamine enhances your brain’s ability to adapt, heal, and grow.

Through KAP, you are able to access buried emotions and create meaningful shifts where traditional therapy may have reached its limits.

Sessions typically last 60-90 minutes and are conducted in a peaceful and supportive environment.

And I will be there to guide and support you throughout the entire experience.

Afterward, we’ll work together to process and integrate the experience to create lasting change.

For many, KAP offers the breakthrough they’ve been hoping for offering another, more accelerated path to healing. 🌿

Interested in learning more about KAP and what it could mean for your healing journey?

Book a free consultation: https://adina-silvestri.kit.com/

🎄 5 Holiday Movies That Quietly Normalize Mental Health Struggles (Yes, Even Elf)The holidays come with twinkling lights...
12/04/2025

🎄 5 Holiday Movies That Quietly Normalize Mental Health Struggles (Yes, Even Elf)

The holidays come with twinkling lights, festive playlists... and sometimes, quiet emotional weight.

Some of our favorite holiday movies are quietly doing mental health advocacy — they just wrap it in humor, nostalgia, and tinsel.

🎬 Elf – Being "Too Much" and Learning to Belong
Buddy is told he doesn't belong — he's too emotional, too enthusiastic, too "weird." But staying true to himself brings healing.

➡️ You are not too much. Sometimes your joy is your rebellion.

📝 Journal Prompt: When have you been told to tone yourself down?

🎬 The Grinch – Emotional Withdrawal and Community Healing
Behind the Grinch's bitterness is rejection and loneliness. His healing comes from being accepted, not fixed.

➡️ Bitterness is often grief in disguise. Community can be medicine.

📝 Journal Prompt: Who in your life might be acting out of pain?

🎬 Home Alone – Abandonment, Boundaries, and Emotional Growth
Kevin processes being forgotten through self-trust and learning that fear doesn't have to rule you.

➡️ Feeling abandoned doesn't mean you are unlovable.

📝 Journal Prompt: What does setting boundaries look like for you this season?

🎬 A Charlie Brown Christmas – Seasonal Depression and Spiritual Longing
Charlie Brown is surrounded by joy he can't feel. He seeks meaning beyond surface-level cheer.

➡️ It's okay to feel low during the holidays. You're not broken — you're human.

📝 Journal Prompt: What meaning are you craving this season?

🎬 The Holiday – Burnout, Heartbreak, and Choosing to Begin Again
Iris and Amanda are running from burnout. What they find isn't just romance, but restoration.

➡️ Rest is not indulgent. Healing is allowed.

📝 Journal Prompt: What would choosing rest look like this year?

This holiday season, may your feelings — all of them — be allowed.

💬 What's a holiday movie that made you feel seen?

PS. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter for more holiday mental health resources! (Link in bio)

"We're out of time."Every single week, just as I was getting somewhere real in 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 therapy, I'd hear those four words...
11/28/2025

"We're out of time."
Every single week, just as I was getting somewhere real in 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 therapy, I'd hear those four words from my therapist.

Our session was over, and we wouldn't speak again until next week—even when it felt like I was on the brink of an emotional breakthrough.

Week after week, the pattern repeated. Start to open up, clock runs out, leave before the real work begins.

I wasn't getting to the root of my issues. I was just... coping with my symptoms.

And I knew I wasn't the only one feeling this way.

👉🏻 That's why I created Therapy Intensives for my own clients.

Unlike traditional 50-minute sessions, these intensives allow you to stay in the work, to explore, and to really dig beneath the surface to the root of your challenges.

Think of it as part mental health retreat, part breakthrough coaching session.
Intensives are a concentrated, personalized, and immersive therapy experience designed for rapid healing and deep transformation.

They can last anywhere from 2 to 20 hours and can be done in one day or across multiple sessions.

Whether it's Internal Family Systems, Brainspotting, hypnotherapy, somatic integration, or Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, the extended length of these sessions allow space for layered therapeutic modalities.

You no longer have to dance around the edges of your challenges.

Now you can dive in deep knowing you're fully supported.

If you've been craving deeper healing and more space to do the work, a Therapy Intensive might just be your next step.

Schedule a free consultation to explore whether a Therapy Intensive is right for you.

Book today here: https://calendly.com/adina-2/15min

11/26/2025

When we start to feel anger bubbling up inside us…
As women, we’re conditioned to shove it down beneath politeness and a smile.

But anger isn’t something women need to hide.

Through Internal Family Systems (IFS), we can start to see anger not as a flaw we need to hide but as a protector.

It’s that tightness in your chest when someone crosses a boundary you put in place.

The sharp edge of frustration when you feel forced to say yes when you’d rather say no.

IFS helps women begin to reframe their anger and ask:
🛡️ What is this anger protecting me from?
🛡️ What deeper wound or fear is it covering up?
🛡️ What does this part of me need in order to feel safe?

Often, anger is shielding us from feelings of inadequacy, rejection, or helplessness.

But when we push anger away, we also lose access to the clarity and strength it provides.

Once you start embracing your anger instead of fearing it, it becomes the guiding light we need to recognize…
🌟 When we are undervaluing ourselves
🌟 When our boundaries need to be stronger
🌟And when we are ready to step into our full power. 💪🏻

So, tell me, were you – like many of us - taught to suppress your anger?

Are you ready to listen to what it’s been trying to tell you?

You've been reading about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.And you know it could help with depression, anxiety, PTSD.But ...
11/24/2025

You've been reading about Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy.
And you know it could help with depression, anxiety, PTSD.
But a part of you still wonders...

👉🏻 What REALLY happens during a session?
👉🏻 Is taking ketamine safe?
👉🏻 Will I completely lose control?

Those questions are completely valid, and pretty common too!

At first glance, Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) can sound intimidating.

But in reality, it’s a carefully guided, deeply supported approach that can help you access profound healing and lasting change.

Every session happens in a calm, therapeutic setting with a trained KAP therapist at your side gently guiding you every step of the way.

Don’t think of it as “taking a drug.”

Instead, think of it as a way to give your brain the space it needs to process emotions without becoming overwhelmed by them.

Then you and your therapist will engage in integration therapy to help you:

✔️ Process your experience,
✔️ Extract valuable insights,
✔️ And develop strategies to integrate these insights into your daily life.

Still have questions? I'm happy to answer them in the comments.

Or, if you want to learn more about KAP and other approaches to healing, I share weekly insights in my newsletter. This week's edition explores how KAP works and why it's becoming a breakthrough option for those who've tried everything else.

Subscribe to get this week's newsletter here: https://adina-silvestri.kit.com/

11/21/2025

If the TSA could stamp “Work-Life Balance” on my passport, that’d be great. 😅✈️

When you start recognizing the faces at TSA…
you might be traveling a little too much.

Headed to Puerto Rico for sunshine, family time,
and pretending my inbox doesn’t exist for a bit. 🌴☀️

Aisle or window — what’s your go-to seat? 👇✨



You've tried everything to make the anger go away.Deep breaths. Journaling. Telling yourself to "let it go."But what if ...
11/21/2025

You've tried everything to make the anger go away.
Deep breaths. Journaling. Telling yourself to "let it go."
But what if your anger isn't the problem?

What if it’s actually the signal pointing you back to your unmet needs and neglected boundaries?

Through IFS therapy, you can learn to befriend your anger instead of fearing it.

And when you do, that’s when transformation happens.

🌟 You stop second-guessing yourself.

🌟 You speak up without guilt.

🌟 You create boundaries that stick.

🌟 You stop resenting others and start respecting yourself.

Are you ready to hear what your anger is trying to say?

Book your free IFS consultation through here 🔗

https://adinasilvestri.com/counseling-services/therapyintensivevirginia/

11/20/2025

Ketamine therapy isn't what most people think it is.
It's not always about "tripping" or having some wild psychedelic experience.

But I get why people feel hesitant about it.

It's normal to feel uncertain before trying something new.

And when it comes to healing work that asks you to let go and trust the process, a little bit of skepticism and hesitation is normal.

So let me clear up the biggest concern I hear:

❌ You won't lose control.

While KAP does induce a dissociative state, meaning you may feel detached from your usual thoughts, you are still present and aware.

With the right support and guidance, it becomes a guided journey into your inner world. 🪷

It allows you to safely process difficult emotions and memories that may be contributing to your mental health challenges.

From there, you'll be better able to gain valuable insights from these experiences, understand their impact on your life, and develop strategies for lasting change.

👉🏻 Are you curious about KAP?

Drop any questions or concerns you have in the comments below. I'd love to help ease your mind. 😊

Tomorrow night, we open the door to a space that feels like an exhale. Hypnotherapy to guide you inward. Sound to soothe...
11/18/2025

Tomorrow night, we open the door to a space that feels like an exhale. Hypnotherapy to guide you inward. Sound to soothe your nervous system. A pause you can feel in your bones.

You still have time to join us, in person or online.

🌀 Hypnosis & Soundbath w/ Adina + Katie
📍 4025 MacArthur Ave, Richmond, VA
🗓 Wednesday, November 19 at 6:30pm
🔗 Reserve your spot: link in bio or buffalofirefly.com/pages/classes-events-adina-katie

Address

8100 Three Chopt Road, Ste 131
Tuckahoe, VA
23229

Opening Hours

Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

+18045369143

Website

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