Hi, I’m Deb (she/her).
I am a dancer, mover, crafter, creator, visioner, and explorer. I am a mama, spouse, friend, sister, daughter, niece, aunt, and ever-evolving being exploring the existential question of what it means to be human in today’s world. I am a therapist, counselor, consultant, facilitator, educator, and clinical supervisor. I’m a White, queer, cis-gender woman of Ashkenazi Jewish descent with a heterosexual life partner/husband, dinosaur-roaring kiddo, and pitbull pup. My roots are in New Jersey (the traditional territories of the Munsee-Lenape and Schaghticoke nations), and I now reside and work in Longmont, CO (the traditional territories of the Tsistsistas [Cheyenne], Hinóno'éí [Arapaho], and Nuuchiu [Ute] nations).
I am a deep believer in the development of identity through the understanding and acceptance of influences from all aspects of our lives – intrapersonal, interpersonal, cultural, institutional and systemic. With this I have come to find that context, history, family, culture, experience, and environment all matter in more fully understanding the nuance and complexity that lives within the individual.
I am passionate about deepening into and exploring the unknown — often approaching life with more questions than answers. I am consistently finding ways to more deeply connect to nature, mother earth, spirit and the simplicity of life to counter what I often find as a cultural and systemic pressure to do…do…do more as a member of grind culture.
I am a forever learner. Understanding there is much that I know, and there is also so very much I still have yet to learn. I seek ongoing guidance and support for my own life journey and thus my work in the world is ever-evolving as my relationship to myself and life continues to expand.
Training and Experience
Deb Silver (she/her), MA, LPC. I am a licensed somatic psychotherapist and Approved Clinical Supervisor who has been serving as a helping professional since 2002. In my 20+ years in the helping professions, I have worked with individuals and groups ranging from ages 3 to 80+, including populations of severe mental illness, youth with developmental disabilities, survivors of stroke, people navigating dementia, at-promise youth, and adult survivors of childhood sexual assault. I have worked in a variety of settings including inpatient, outpatient, residential, community mental health, group practice, primary school, graduate education, summer camps, and assisted living and nursing home facilities. I have served as an instructor and academic advisor for Naropa University’s Somatic Counseling Department, and as a Clinical Supervisor for the Naropa Community Counseling Center. My work in the field has inevitably involved the use of the expressive arts, relationship to the body and movement, inclusion of all aspects of identity, and relational connection as key components to health and wellbeing.
Prior to receiving my MA degree in Somatic Counseling — Dance Movement Therapy, I worked in the mental health field as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS), while simultaneously creating and teaching within the community as a dance educator and artist as founder and director of SilCo dance company in New York City. My history with dance creation, movement, and performance served as the first catalyst for engaging and understanding what it is to navigate the unknown and live in the questions through the creative process and the expressive arts.
As a psychotherapist, my lenses are rooted in somatic and body-centered practices with a strong social justice orientation. I have worked under the mentorship and guidance of Dr. Carla Sherrell for a decade. I attribute my core training and understanding of the intricacies and complexities of social justice oriented counseling to Dr. Carla’s teachings and her model of the 4-Lenses of Oppression©.
I am currently based in Longmont, CO with a private practice focused on working with adults seeking individual and/or couple/relationship counseling, and provide clinical supervision for counselors working towards their license. Additionally, I am a co-founder of S&S Equity Consulting with Tajah Schall where we provide strategy, coaching, and facilitation towards culture change for individuals, organizations, and groups.
CREDENTIALS:
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) - LPC.0014994
Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) credential: August, 2023.
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Core Skills; June, 2023.
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Externship; September, 2022.
MA in Somatic Counseling - Dance Movement Therapy; May, 2015; Naropa University; Boulder, CO.
BS in Therapeutic Recreation, Minor in Dance; December, 2004; Ithaca College; Ithaca, NY.