Jen Siladi (She/Her)

I spent many years suffering from debilitating chronic pain, chronic fatigue and neurological deficits after contracting Lyme disease and not receiving a diagnosis and appropriate treatment at the time. I eventually (mostly) regained my health, but the illness had a huge influence on the trajectory of my life. I am particularly interested in working with individuals, couples or families in which one or more people is living with chronic or invisible illnesses or chronic pain.

We all need a secure base - that person that we know will be there for us when we need them. Many of us did not have that in early life, or perhaps that person was unavailable to us because of death, addiction, mental illness, divorce, imprisonment etc. I work with clients to teach them about secure versus insecure attachment and help them identify their longing to reach out for comfort and safety from another, and the life experiences that may be getting in the way of being able to do so.

Using Emotionally Focused Therapy, I help couples to identify the interactional pattern that keeps them having the same basic fight over and over, even though the topic may change. I guide them through the process of reducing anger, increasing vulnerability, resolving attachment injuries and increasing a felt sense of safety and connection.

I have trained extensively in Emotionally Focused Therapy and I have worked at many couples workshop retreats, where I have helped couples to reconnect. I have also completed EFT training in the area of infidelity/betrayal. Emotionally Focused Therapy is also highly effective for use with individuals and families, with whom I work as well.