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.

Most people don’t need more advice.They need somewhere to put what’s been building up.I have a Writing Bravely group sta...
04/21/2026

Most people don’t need more advice.

They need somewhere to put what’s been building up.

I have a Writing Bravely group starting soon—
a small, guided space to process what’s been sitting under the surface
using structured prompts and reflection.

If you’ve been feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like you can’t quite get clarity—this is a good place to start.

Message me if you want details.










📸:

Your life looks good on paper.So why does it still feel off?This is the part no one talks about.You did everything you w...
04/15/2026

Your life looks good on paper.
So why does it still feel off?

This is the part no one talks about.

You did everything you were supposed to do.
Built the life. Held it together. Showed up.

And somehow… it still doesn’t fully land.

Not bad enough to blow things up.
Not good enough to feel settled.

So you start trying to figure it out.

You think—if I can just understand where this comes from,
maybe it will finally click.

And sometimes, even therapy stays there.

Talking. Analyzing. Understanding.

Which can help…
but doesn’t always reach the part of you that still feels off.

Because insight isn’t the thing that changes you.

You can explain your patterns perfectly
and still feel disconnected from your own life.

Understanding yourself isn’t the same as changing your life.

Real change happens when your system has a different experience—
one that actually lands in your body.

Thats the work.

(I wrote more about this in my latest blog.)

Most people don’t need another journal.They need structure.They need prompts that actually go somewhere.They need a spac...
04/14/2026

Most people don’t need another journal.

They need structure.
They need prompts that actually go somewhere.
They need a space where they don’t avoid themselves halfway through the page.

That’s what Writing Bravely is.

A place to:
• slow your mind down
• understand your patterns
• actually shift how you relate to yourself

Early bird pricing ends tonight.

If you’ve been circling this, waiting for the “right time”—
this is it.

Hit the link in the comments to learn more. 📩

Mara is good at leaving.She knows how to go.How to pack up, move forward, not look too closely.What she doesn’t question...
04/09/2026

Mara is good at leaving.
She knows how to go.
How to pack up, move forward, not look too closely.

What she doesn’t question—at least not at first—
is the story she’s been carrying the whole time.

Why he left.
What it meant.
Who it made her.

It holds everything together.

Until something small doesn’t line up.

Not enough to break it.
But enough that she can’t fully believe it anymore.

That moment is quieter than people expect.

It’s not a breakdown.
It’s not clarity.

It’s a pause.

And that’s usually where things start to shift.

If something in your life doesn’t quite fit anymore, that’s not failure.

It’s information.

What part of this felt most familiar to you? Leave a comment below!

“Venting isn’t enough”Venting feels productive.You say what happened.You release some of the pressure.You walk away feel...
04/08/2026

“Venting isn’t enough”

Venting feels productive.
You say what happened.
You release some of the pressure.
You walk away feeling a little lighter.

But most of the time, nothing actually changes.

Because venting keeps you in the story.
It reinforces what happened.
Why it happened.
Who was wrong.

Processing is different.
It slows things down enough to notice what’s underneath.
What you felt.
What got activated.
What part of you stepped in.

That’s why you can talk about something over and over—
and still react the same way the next time it happens.

If you’ve been stuck in that loop, it’s not because you haven’t talked about it enough.
It’s because you haven’t had a way to actually work with it.

Eight people showed up to write last night.Not to be writers.Just to sit with something they hadn’t said out loud yet.At...
04/01/2026

Eight people showed up to write last night.
Not to be writers.
Just to sit with something they hadn’t said out loud yet.
At the end, I asked for one word.
calm
relaxed
grateful
energized
And one that stayed with me:
brave
Because for one person, this was completely outside their comfort zone.
And they showed up anyway.
That’s the work.
Not writing perfectly.
Not figuring everything out.
Just being willing to sit with what’s there.
I’ll be doing more of these. If you want to join the next one, let me know!



Childhood trauma doesn’t always end just because we grew up.It becomes the core beliefs we carry into adulthood. “I can ...
03/31/2026

Childhood trauma doesn’t always end just because we grew up.
It becomes the core beliefs we carry into adulthood.

“I can never do anything right.”

“People always leave.”

“No one ever listens to me.”

Beliefs like these form when a moment of intense emotion or trauma overwhelms our ability to cope, leaving us feeling powerless and vulnerable.

They become part of our system – like unwanted apps that we unconsciously downloaded.

Your brain stores them and keeps them running in the background, waiting for the moment when a similar event occurs, and you need to react. 📲

The problem is that those apps don’t automatically update over time.

They stay the same year after year after year.

🧠 But that’s where memory reconsolidation comes in.

When an old emotional memory is activated in a safe way and paired with a new emotional learning, the brain can update it at the root.

Our old beliefs don’t just get overridden and suppressed.

They get deleted entirely and replaced with a healthier 2.0 edition. ✨

Do you think you have any emotional “apps” that need uninstalling?

Let me know in the comments below.

Your brain isn’t the problem.It’s just full.I’m thinking about hosting a small, live (virtual) writing session next week...
03/28/2026

Your brain isn’t the problem.

It’s just full.

I’m thinking about hosting a small, live (virtual) writing session next week.
Nothing fancy. No pressure to “be a writer.”

Just space to get things out of your head and onto the page.

If your mind has been looping, overthinking, or carrying more than usual—this is for you.

I’ll keep it small and intentional.

Comment “write” or message me and I’ll send details if I open it up.

The way you talk to your body matters.But for many people, the voice in their head is harsh and critical. As a therapis...
03/26/2026

The way you talk to your body matters.
But for many people, the voice in their head is harsh and critical.

As a therapist specializing in eating disorders and body shaming, I’ve seen just how much damage negative self-talk can have on your mental health.

Living with disordered eating and thoughts of body shaming can be overwhelming.

The voice in your head is self-critical, shame-inducing, and anxiety-provoking.

It can change how you treat your body and how you feel in it.

But you CAN heal your relationship with your body. ❤️‍🩹

Just like any habit, you can change your self-talk and learn to love your physical self.

Healing your relationship with your body means learning to treat yourself with self-compassion.

Replacing criticism and judgment with kindness and understanding. 💜

And learning to accept your body as it is, rather striving for the idealized standard you see on TV.

This is not a shift that happens overnight.

But by repeating positive affirmations like these, you can start to change the script your inner voice is repeating.

You’ll begin to visualize yourself as confident and self-assured and embrace your body with love and acceptance.

And eventually leave all negativity behind.

Save this post for the next time you need help rewriting your inner script!

You already have everything you need to start healing.A pen, some paper, and the right questions.That's where I come in....
03/19/2026

You already have everything you need to start healing.
A pen, some paper, and the right questions.

That's where I come in.

Writing Bravely is a 6-week program where you get to explore the pain and hurt that you’ve been carrying and the stories you’ve created because of them.

Through guided prompts, you’ll mine through your memories, traumas, and dreams through expressive writing.

These classes are designed to meet you exactly where you are.

No prior writing skills necessary.

All you need is a willingness to get curious about yourself.

Don't just take my word for it — swipe to hear what past participants had to say. 👉🏼

In Writing Bravely, you’ll have the chance to get your stories out and write your way to a better future.

Ready to write your way to healing?

✒️ Writing Bravely is currently open for enrollment and begins March 24, 2026.

Spots are limited.

If you've been waiting for permission to finally tell your story, here it is!

Let's write our way through together.

Link to enroll is in the comments. 🔗

What I’ve learned as a psychotherapist:Self-sabotage isn’t about laziness or lack of discipline.And willpower alone won’...
03/18/2026

What I’ve learned as a psychotherapist:
Self-sabotage isn’t about laziness or lack of discipline.
And willpower alone won’t fix it.

Self-sabotage is our brain’s way of avoiding emotional pain.

Think of all the times you…
✖️ Hesitated with indecision,
✖️ Froze with Imposter Syndrome,
✖️ Or put fear of what other people think over what you know is right.

These are patterns you form in moments of adversity or difficulty.

Your inner critic thinks it's keeping you safe. What it's actually doing is keeping you stuck.

One of the best ways to overcome these patterns of self-sabotage is through expressive writing.

Expressive writing helps you slow down and really explore the stories your inner critic is telling you.

It allows you to separate facts from old interpretations.

Once you name the pattern, you can choose a different response.

And from there, you can meet your fears (real and imagined) with kindness instead of avoidance.

Even in moments of failure or disappointment.

If you give the writing exercise in the carousel a try, be sure to let me know your thoughts! My DMs are always open.

And if you want more writing exercises like this one, I share a new writing prompt every week in my newsletter.

Link in the comments to subscribe. 📩

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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