We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sylvie Silva. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sylvie below.

Sylvie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I come from an immigrant family. They were very busy with work, often working 12-16 hour shifts in the psychiatric hospital. Even though they were physically and mentally exhausted, they always found a moment to play with us and give us warmth and praise. Additionally, they would often take us to do community service acts, such as feeding the homeless or picking up trash from the park. They instilled a deep sense that we are all one family and no one is better or worse than anyone else. We are all relatives and we should treat each other as such, with action and compassion.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my journey as a Wilderness Therapist after being a middle school teacher for 15 years at an environmental charter school. I loved working with youth and with the wild, but how could I do both at the next level? I researched all mental health degrees to see if I could do anything specific to adolescent development. As it turns out there is no such thing as a teen only focus – it’s either little kids or whole family systems. That’s when I found out that 1 school offered a Master’s degree in Wilderness Therapy and had a focus on adolescents and I was hooked. Now I run a non-profit for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth providing counseling, workshops, and wilderness experiences for those struggling with mental health challenges.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The biggest business lesson I had to unlearn is that everything is a result of your hustle. As an immigrant, I was very proficient at taking initiative and doing anything necessary to move forward with my professional goals. I would make the 200 phone calls just to get the one sale. I would drive across the state just to get the one client, etc. I am realizing as the years go on, that once you truly establish who you are as a business and network with the like-minded businesses around you, you don’t have to push as much. By sitting firmly in my role as a healer, I can attract and receive the right kind of clients for my organization. I don’t have to chase success, just create the right environment to receive it organically.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I graduated with my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2018 and finished my externship in January of 2020. Normally I would have to spend a couple more years doing agency work before I could start my own private practice, but then the pandemic hit. I used that time to start my nonprofit, The Cicada Institute, and started offering donation -based virtual counseling to youth stuck at home struggling with self-harm. It was very rewarding to be an accessible resource for them in a time of global crisis .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cicadainstitute.com/
• Instagram: The_cicada_institute
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cicadainstitute
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylvie-silva
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cicadainstitute1825

Image Credits
Myself