01 · Who Sylvia works with

Sylvia works with stress, Anxiety, anger management and self esteem

Sylvia lists 13 specialisms and 14 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Sylvia chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

02 · In Sylvia's own words

What Sylvia says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, Certified Rehabilitation Counselor, and Developmental Disabilities Professional who has worked in the counseling and social services field for 20+ years. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Spelman College in 1997. I earned the distinction of graduating Summa Cum Laude with a Master of Arts degree in Counseling & Psychological Services from Clark Atlanta University in 2003. While at Clark Atlanta University, I served as President of the Honor Society.

I have extensive experience providing a variety of counseling services such as doing individual and group sessions with families and children, career counseling, high school transitional rehabilitation counseling for with students with learning disabilities and I have provided counseling services through the Superior Court programs and detention centers

In 2005, I served as a Disaster Mental Health specialist first responder immediately following Hurricane Katrina, where I travelled to Louisiana to provide mental health and guidance for those in need of crisis stabilization.

My approach as a counselor, I like to work with people terms of the parts of the self. We are made up of several different elements that makes you who you are. Together, we identify the areas that you want to improve and go from there. I also approach treatment from a “How did I get here perspective?” We will take a look at all of the people places and things that led up to where you are now, figure out what your priorities are then create a plan. With your permission, I like to impart a bit of spirituality, not religion, as motivation. Spirituality is all of the things that feeds mind body and soul. It can be the things that give you a sense of purpose. (All of those approaches have big fancy names but we will talk about that later ????). I like to impart humor into my sessions. I am a firm believer that laughter and humor is therapeutic for the soul. Lastly, I like to think of myself as a people person. I enjoy helping people to reaching their fullest potential and finding inner peace. It brings me joy to help others become their “best self”. If you are looking for someone who is trustworthy, non-judgmental and a safe space to process things, then you have come to the right place.

Sylvia Franklin, on the BetterHelp listing · read 9 Oct 2026

03 · How Sylvia works

The 4 approaches Sylvia lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Sylvia lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Sylvia's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Sylvia runs a session.

Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian

The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.

Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT

Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.

Motivational InterviewingMI

A way of talking about change with somebody who is genuinely in two minds about it. The therapist does not argue for the change; they help you say your own reasons out loud, which is the part that predicts whether it happens. Common around substance use and health behaviour.

Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT

Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Sylvia practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Sylvia's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

   BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Sylvia at this point.

2. Naming Sylvia specifically

   BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Sylvia is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Sylvia.

3. If the caseload is full

   You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

4. The first conversation

   A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

5. If the fit is wrong

   Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Sylvia

Built from what Sylvia actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Sylvia's - Sylvia has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

• “You list both Solution-Focused Brief Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

  Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

• “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

  Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

• “With 20 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

  Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

• “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

  On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential

LPC

Licensed in

Georgia

Licence

GA LPC LPC004919

Licence number

LPC004919

Licence expires

30 Sep 2028

NPI

1538339700

Years in practice

20

Gender

Female

Languages

English

International clients

Not accepted

Listed since

15 May 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Sylvia's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 9 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Sylvia. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

Something on this page wrong or out of date? Report it and it will be checked against the source.