About Your Licensed Professional Counselor

Biography: Sylvia Chelf is a Licensed Professional Master Level Clinician who Prioritizes Mental Health Care for Individuals and Families in Need of Therapeutic Services. 

Born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, Sylvia earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a Minor in Sociology from the University of Texas at Brownsville where she received the National Hispanic Scholarship Award. Shortly after graduation, Sylvia was employed as a Service Coordinator at Tropical Texas MHMR in Brownsville. Afterwards, Sylvia relocated to Houston, Texas where she was employed at the Northside Family Resource Child and Adolescent Center responsible for the delivery of mental health services to children, adolescents and their families.

While residing in Houston, Texas, Sylvia obtained her State of Texas Board of Educator Certificate and worked as a Bilingual ESL (English as a Second Language) Elementary School Teacher for three years at Alief Independent School District. After moving back to the valley, Sylvia also taught in the Los Fresnos Independent School District and the Brownsville Independent School District. 

Having a deep appreciation for higher education, Sylvia returned to pursue her Master's in Education Degree in Community Counseling and Guidance from the newly CACREP (Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Programs) accredited program at the University of Texas at Brownsville. During her graduate studies, Sylvia received the Dr. Charles R. Comeaux Distinguished Student Recognition Award for Outstanding Clinical Skills and Commitment to the Counseling profession.

Sylvia completed her Practicum experience at the University of Texas at Brownsville Community Clinic and completed her Master's Degree in 2014. In 2015, Sylvia obtained her License in Chemical Dependency Counseling, and has acquired a wealth of experience treating substance abuse issues. Thereafter, she was employed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons working with formerly incarcerated individuals to assist them in successfully reentering society. 

In addition, Sylvia obtained The Texas Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) certification in 2019 to help assess the behavioral health needs of children under the conservatorship of The Department of Family & Protective Services. Among her many professional achievements, which includes Being Rated Among the Top 3 Best Therapists in Brownsville, Sylvia is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC), receiving her Board Certification in 2019. 

Earning national certification demonstrates meeting high national standards within the Counseling Profession. Those standards include demonstrating a mastery of counseling knowledge and skills by completing a graduate degree from an institutionally accredited or Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) counseling program, passing a rigorous national examination, the documentation of work experience and supervision requirements, and subscribing to the highest ethical and practice standards. 

In 2018, Sylvia established her own Private Practice providing mental health therapeutic services to individuals and families in need within her community. However, she has been in the private practice setting since 2015 treating a myriad of mental health issues. Sylvia is a highly motivated mental health professional dedicated to providing exceptional care for children, adolescents, and adults coping with a myriad of mental health concerns. 

Currently her focus is primarily working with adolescents and adults and offers individual, group, and family counseling. Because of her bicultural nature, Sylvia possesses the skills to work with a diverse client population. She has strong interpersonal, organizational, and case management skills, and has the experience in working with multidisciplinary teams as well as other mental health professionals, including social workers, psychologists, and licensed therapists.

Sylvia utilizes an integrative/eclectic approach to psychotherapy, valuing concepts drawn from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Existentialism, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Humanistic Theories, Gottman Method, Person Centered Therapy, Positive Psychology, Reality Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Mindfulness Based Therapy, and Strength-Based Approaches so clients are able to recognize their individual strengths and can work toward improving overall health and wellness. 

It is because she appreciates the uniqueness of each and every person that her approach to counseling emphasizes the importance of tailoring treatment plans according to a client's individual needs and seeks to create a supportive atmosphere to help foster the therapeutic relationship. Coming from a family of mental health professionals, Sylvia has a strong commitment to the counseling profession and her experience and education is complemented by her empathic, non-judgmental, and friendly nature. On her spare time, Sylvia enjoys spending time with her family, reading, writing, and traveling.

The American Counseling Association

The Texas Counseling Association

Texas Association of Multicultural Counseling. 

• Verified By Psychology Today

• Voted Three 'Best Rated Therapist'