Meet Dr. Sylvia

Sylvia Pauling is a licensed professional counselor and psychotherapist with over 25 years of experience in treating mental health. She leads counseling sessions for individuals, couples and families through The Pauling Institute Inc., her mental health agency that provides services which span from therapy for depression to parenting support, couples counseling and beyond. Sylvia has various areas of specialty for treatment including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, domestic violence and relationship issues. She works with traditional and non-traditional families.

Sylvia believes in holistic treatment, helping clients to develop a treatment plan for clinical psychotherapy that is tailored to their individual needs. Her treatment includes a collaborative client-therapist approach, and because of this, she prioritizes building positive and trusting relationships with her clients. The client-therapist approach emphasizes the patient’s strengths and insights and is based upon a balance of body, mind and soul. Her clients are truly the center of her work, and she is very passionate about helping clients reach their treatment goals.

Aside from counseling, Sylvia is an activist and advocate in the movement to end domestic violence. She holds domestic violence victims and survivors very close to her heart and has dedicated her life to helping victims break free from the vicious cycle. Sylvia has extensive experience working with survivors and perpetrators of domestic violence. Her domestic violence work builds on the survivors’ strength and holds the perpetrators accountable, offering services in a safe environment.

Sylvia was the first Domestic Violence Specialist for the District of Columbia Child Welfare Agency, where she served for 15 years. She went on to become a Program Manager for the Office on Violence Against Women, and she has been in this role since 2016. Motivated by her passion for helping others, Sylvia’s service also spans into the community. She is passionate about wellness and helping others take care of their mental health.

Sylvia aspires to help communities respond to domestic violence in a healthy manner. She has facilitated several trainings and participated in speaking engagements on domestic violence and mental health. She has also engaged with various churches, schools and other organizations, and she has been featured in TV and radio interviews.

In addition to speaking engagements, Sylvia served as a contributing author for two books, Bounced Back On Purpose: A Collaboration of Amazing Women and The Purposed Woman 365 Day Devotional: A Collaboration with Over 300 Inspiring Women. Sylvia is most recently a featured author in Faith for Fiery Trials Volume III. She was honored to partner with amazing women as she shared her testimony through ministry writing. She is especially grateful to Dr. Nicole S. Mason for allowing her the opportunity to be a part of this incredible project on triumphing even through trying times.

Sylvia is a native South Carolinian. While Washington, DC is her home, her roots are in South Carolina. She is originally from Orangeburg, SC. She graduated from South Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Sylvia went on to attend Trinity College and obtained a Master of Arts in Guidance and Counseling. She is a Certified Danger Assessor and a DC Victim Assistance Academy Graduate. This lifelong learner is currently enrolled at Walden University and is a candidate for a PhD in Public Policy and Administration, slated for completion in early 2023.

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Meet Dr. Sylvia

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