My name is Sylvie Fermanian and I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Before diving into my educational background and clinical experience, I want to thank you for choosing to view my profile out of a wide array of mental health professionals offering their expertise. I want to be direct in saying I don’t pretend to be the best choice for you and I don’t have the longest amount of experience. I do however pride myself in having a quality no amount of experience can give you and that is an innate ability to connect with others regardless of race, sexual orientation, culture, political background, religion or life experiences. Viewing therapy as an extension of what it means to be human and all the difficulties that come with each individual’s life journey, I will meet you where you decide to begin and provide a safe and trusting environment where you can open up and begin the therapeutic process. It has been researched that the most important factor for success in therapy is the client/therapist relationship. Throughout this process you will get to see my therapy style, how I collaborate with you in tackling challenges you present in session, and provide you with insight and skills you can take with you once therapy ends. The most important qualities I have found to be effective in the progress of my clients have been: compassion, empathy, a non-judgmental approach, excellent listening skills, giving perspective and providing encouragement to let my clients know they are unconditionally supported. We can see if you and I can be a great fit as client and therapist. You are already one step closer to achieving your goals by reaching out and looking for support. Ok, now I will provide you with my background and education. I graduated in 2012 from Argosy University and have five years of clinical experience. A majority of those five years have been in community settings including school-based services, family service agencies, and in-home therapy. I also have worked some time in private practice. My experience has focused on issues such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, domestic violence, sexual abuse, relational problems, strained family dynamics, low self-esteem and self-worth and life stressors due to financial instability. My theoretical approach is eclectic so I use various therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Person-Centered Therapy, Humanistic Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy. Of course, depending on each individual client, I will tailor my approach so I can offer treatment that will be most beneficial for you. Finally, I know with the current pandemic and the past year, there is another layer of stress we all had to deal with and I am sure that will play a small or large factor in our treatment. I know this has been a mini novel so far, so if you got this far, I see you and I thank you. We may actually be a great fit! To those that reach out, I look forward to speaking with you and seeing if you will have me as your therapist.