“My mission is to educate and help people with their personal growth by using science supported holistic approaches that integrate mind, body, and spirit and create lasting change.”
Since I was a young girl, I loved helping and working with people especially kids. At the age of 13, I volunteered at Adventure Playground in Irvine near where I lived where kids could play in a tree house, climb poles and stumps, go down slides, build forts, and play in beautiful meadows and sensory garden. After that summer experience, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up.
I went to UCSB for college and majored in sociology knowing that I would further my education and eventually get a teaching credential. I also took as many psychology courses as I could as human behavior was always interesting to me. It was also at UCSB where I fell in love with and dated my husband. At this point in my life, I knew I wanted to teach and have a family of my own.
Next step I took in order to become a teacher was attending California State University, Long Beach where I received my teaching credential. I eventually taught second and third grade and loved being a teacher. I realized the impact my past teachers had on me when I moved here from Turkey and learned English as a second language. Teaching was incredibly rewarding, and I enjoyed working with the kids, parents, and other educators.
Several years after being married, I became a mom first to my incredible son, Jacob, and two years later to my amazing son, Nathan. They were the biggest gifts in my life and my inspirations to make this world a better place. Once they were born, I chose to stay at home and leave my teaching position in order to take care of them.
Ten years after being stay-at-home mom, I wanted to return to work part time. I had grown as a person and experienced the natural challenges of parenting, marriage, and balancing life. I wanted to teach but in a different capacity. I was lucky enough to learn how to meditate after a retreat I attended. I continued my meditation and mindfulness practice and realized what a positive change I saw in myself. With this awareness, I decided to study and become a certified meditation and mindfulness instructor. I began to teach mindfulness at corporations, to women’s groups, kids, and individuals.
After four years of being a meditation and mindfulness instructor, I wanted to learn more strategies to guide, support, coach, empower and provide counseling to people. My sons were getting older and more independent and not far from going to college. It was the perfect time for me to take another leap forward in my passion of helping people by attending graduate school to get a master’s degree in clinical psychology.
In 2022, I completed the master’s program at Pepperdine University. I have been counseling and coaching people ever since and consider myself extremely lucky to be doing the work that I love. In my counseling sessions I incorporate mindfulness techniques which includes breath work. In addition, I facilitate mindfulness groups and addiction recovery groups, and I am a health and wellness speaker. I look forward to and am enthusiastic about continuing to make a difference in more people’s lives.
Silvi has changed my life. I was riddled with anxiety the past few years and had tried so many different things…I’m forever grateful. Thank you Silvi!
-M. Kruger, private client