1603 Church St., San Francisco, CA 94131

About Me

MY BACKGROUND

I’m a licensed psychotherapist and have been working in the mental health field since 1998. I teach on the Adjunct Faculty of the Counseling Psychology graduate program at the University of San Francisco and supervise training clinicians at Haight Ashbury Psychological Services. I also served previously as Clinical Director for The SAGE Project, an agency specializing in trauma work and trauma-informed care.

I teach and lecture about counseling issues regularly to both training therapists and the general public, with such organizations as Haight-Ashbury Psychological Services, Marin Community Mental Health, University of San Francisco, Tenderloin Health, San Francisco Bay Area Physician Assistants, and the San Francisco International Film Festival. I’ve also written articles about different aspects of counseling for a number of professional publications.

My professional life has also included work in a few unexpected areas: as a software developer and as a professional stage actor and director. With this background, I’ve also had my feet planted firmly in the worlds of business, technology and the arts.

EDUCATION

I hold a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco. My additional specialized course work includes a Certification in Internet Addiction and Psychology of the Web by the Zur Institute and the Course Sequence in CyberPsychology from the PsyBC.

You can also check out my continuing activities in Professional Development.

Professional Development

LICENSURE AND AFFILIATIONS

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, #MFC49915
  • Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, #LPCC962
  • Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, International Association of Trauma Professionals
  • Member, American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
  • Member, International Society for Mental Health Online
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MFT? LPCC?

The State of California issues a few different varieties of license to practice therapy. I’m both a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC). These roles are similar, but not quite identical. I thought it might be useful to help you unscramble the alphabet soup:

 

LPCC

A Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor works with individuals to help deal with life situations, reduce stress, experience growth, change behavior, and make well-informed, rational decisions.

 

MFT

A Marriage and Family Therapist works with individuals, couples, or groups to examine interpersonal relationships for the purpose of achieving more adequate, satisfying, and productive relationship and family adjustments.

 
 

So, depending on the background and license of the therapist, therapy can focus on you as an individual and/or how you manage in the larger context of your relationships. I’m happy to be able to offer both approaches. Email me and we can discuss the best ways I can provide you with some help.

 
 

PAUL SILVERMAN, MFT LPCC

Managing relationships and emotions in the 21st century can be bewildering. Visit my blog for my thoughts about mental health, relationships — online and face-to-face — and coping with everyday stressors.

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Paul Silverman | Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, CA MFC49915 | Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, CA LPCC962 | California Board of Behavioral Sciences