Meet the Silvi Team
And learn why we’re the right fit for your healing journey.
Our Story
Inspired by the interconnected beauty of the forests in the Santa Cruz mountains, Dr. Lisa Black named her practice, Silvi Integrative Health, after the Latin word for forest, Silvia. Just as a forest thrives through the harmonious interplay of its parts – trees, roots, sunlight, and shadow – Silvi’s approach to integrative psychotherapy represents a space where all aspects of the human experience are embraced and balanced. Guided by this philosophy, our team of licensed therapists provides integrative medicine and informed care in a supportive environment that fosters self-discovery, healing, and growth.
Meet Our Team of Liscenced and Experienced Therapists
Clinical Supervisors
Dr. Lisa Black, Psy.D.
CEO and supervising psychologist
Dr. Black (she/her) is alumnus of Alliant International University, San Diego, where she earned her doctorate in clinical psychology with a specialization in integrative psychology. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and board certified in biofeedback (BCB) and neurofeedback (BCN) with an additional specialty in ketamine-assisted psychotherapy.
She completed her post-doctoral training at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). She is one of UCSD’s Frontiers of Innovation Scholars Program (FISP) grantees, which offered grant support for her pioneering work to develop and implement neurofeedback services into UCSD Health’s family medicine program.
Continuing her work at UCSD, she was the lead therapist for biofeedback and neurofeedback services and psychologist for UCSD Health’s sports medicine concussion clinic.
Dr. Black’s practice centers on integrative psychology with an emphasis on whole-person health – nurturing the mind, body, spirit, and community. She is part neuroscientist and part alternative medicine, integrating evidence-based practices with the wisdom of traditional healing. While she prioritizes scientifically supported methods, she believes that combining both approaches creates a powerful synergy for holistic well-being.
Dr. Black prioritizes building a strong therapeutic relationship. Warm and accepting, she also encourages change when needed. She values and celebrates all backgrounds, cultures, and spiritual perspectives. Rather than assuming what is “right” for any individual, she collaborates with patients and their care teams to determine the best path toward growth and well-being.
In addition to her work as a therapist, Dr. Black teaches at a community college and mentors psychology interns on their way to licensure.
Dr. Black works with her co-therapist, Lexi, to help in the healing process (see profile below).
In her spare time you will find her gardening, hiking, and having fun with Lexi.
Dr. Janira jacoubs-beye, Psy.D.
Supervising Therapist
Dr. Janira Jacoubs-Beye (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 15 years of experience in clinical, forensic, correctional, and educational settings. She earned her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Azusa Pacific University, with an emphasis in Family and Forensic Psychology, and holds active licenses in both California and Texas.
Throughout her career, Dr. Jacoubs-Beye has cultivated deep expertise in psychological assessment, competency evaluations, supervision, and mental health consultation across complex systems of care. Her clinical work spans diverse environments—including correctional institutions, public schools, private practice, and state and federal healthcare systems—where she has consistently provided high-quality psychological services to individuals with acute and chronic mental health needs.
Dr. Jacoubs-Beye has served in supervisory and leadership roles, including as a Clinical Supervisor and Training Director for doctoral internship and practicum programs. She is deeply committed to training the next generation of mental health professionals, offering clinical supervision, ethical consultation, and didactic instruction to students and early-career clinicians.
She has conducted forensic evaluations for court-ordered proceedings, disability claims, and correctional facilities, and has worked extensively with incarcerated populations. Her experience also includes independent medical opinions for veterans, behavioral health case management, and psychological testing standardization in collaboration with Pearson.
In addition to her clinical and forensic work, Dr. Jacoubs-Beye has presented peer-reviewed research at national APA conferences and held adjunct faculty appointments at Argosy University and the University of the Pacific. She is a long-standing member of the American Psychological Association and the National Health Service Registry in Psychology. She is also a Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) with the Division of Workers Compensation.
Known for her compassionate, integrative approach, Dr. Jacoubs-Beye is passionate about delivering care that is informed by empirical evidence, rooted in ethics, and guided by social responsibility. She continues to advocate for quality mental health services, especially for underserved and marginalized populations. As a supervisor, Dr. Jacoubs-Beye employs a framework that builds competent and client-centered clinicians, but also emphasizes the importance of self-care and work-life balance for her trainees.
Camille ellingsen, lmft
Supervising therapist
Camille Ellingsen (she/her) is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who approaches therapy as a deeply personal and transformative journey. She believes that healing and growth are possible at any stage of life—whether you’re moving through a crisis, experiencing relational challenges, navigating a life transition, or seeking relief from patterns that no longer serve you.
Camille creates a compassionate, grounded, and nonjudgmental space where clients can feel safe to explore their inner worlds and bring forward their most vulnerable experiences. She works closely with teenagers, young adults, and military personnel who are struggling with anxiety, trauma, depression, addiction, low self-worth, inner conflict, relational difficulties, and beyond. Her work supports clients in reconnecting with their authentic selves, deepening their relationships, and developing tools to move through life with greater clarity, confidence, creativity, and emotional balance.
Her therapeutic approach is integrative and trauma-informed, blending evidence-based modalities with experiential and somatic practices. Camille draws from Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and systemic frameworks—all supported by a strong foundation in mindfulness and a humanistic, relational lens.
In addition, Camille is trained as a Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapist, offering clients a full continuum of care including preparation, experiential ketamine sessions, and integration work. These sessions support those dealing with persistent depression, anxiety, and existential distress, while facilitating profound insight and emotional release.
Camille holds advanced training in psychedelic-assisted therapy through leading institutions: Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with Polaris Insight Center, MDMA-Assisted Therapy through MAPS, Psilocybin-Assisted Therapy through Compass Pathways, and 5-MeO-DMT training through Fluence. Beyond her clinical work, she also serves as a psychedelic researcher working on six psychedelic clinical trials, consultant, and clinical rater, contributing to the growing field of ethical, evidence-based psychedelic care.
Camille is deeply committed to offering meaningful, attuned, and forward-thinking support to help her clients heal, grow, and reconnect with what matters most.
Providers
Currently Accepting New Patients
Jessica “Jessi” Bruce, AMFT
associate therapist
Jessi Bruce is an associate therapist and San Diego native who brings together deep life experience, trauma-informed clinical training, and a grounded, relational approach to care. She is also a mother of three, and the years she devoted to raising her family have profoundly shaped the way she shows up as a clinician.
Parenthood taught Jessi patience, empathy, and the importance of truly listening to understand—not just to respond. These experiences allow her to connect authentically with clients, help them feel genuinely heard, and support them in navigating complex relationships with compassion and clarity.
Before entering the mental health field, Jessi earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Communication, with an emphasis on marketing, public relations, and advertising. Her background in communication enhances her ability to attune to clients, clarify patterns, and foster meaningful dialogue within the therapeutic space.
In 2019, Jessi followed a lifelong passion for wellness by becoming a certified yoga instructor. She went on to manage several yoga studios in San Diego, deepening her appreciation for the mind-body connection and the role of embodied awareness in healing. While this work was fulfilling, she felt called to grow further—both personally and professionally—which led her to pursue a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
During her clinical internship at VMR Therapy, a trauma-focused practice specializing in work with both survivors and offenders of domestic violence, Jessi facilitated individual and group therapy. This challenging and meaningful experience provided her with invaluable insight into trauma processing, accountability, and the work of interrupting intergenerational cycles of harm.
Jessi approaches therapy with warmth, curiosity, and respect for each client’s lived experience. She is passionate about supporting individuals and families as they work toward healing, growth, and more connected relationships.
She is honored to bring her clinical training and life experience to Silvi Integrative Health and looks forward to supporting clients on their therapeutic journey.
Shannon Simone Miller, AMFT
“The Therapeutic Sherpa”
associate therapist
Shannon Simone Miller approaches therapy as a Therapeutic Sherpa—walking alongside clients as they navigate the often complex terrain of their personal histories, emotions, and relationships. Her work is grounded in the belief that healing is both a courageous and collaborative journey, and that with the right support, individuals can reconnect with a fuller, more integrated sense of self.
A third-generation Los Angeles native, Shannon brings what she calls a “Warm Modern” approach to therapy: intentional and contemporary, yet deeply rooted in the safety of genuine human connection. Her style is authentic, compassionate, and present, with a touch of humor that helps create a space where clients feel at ease, understood, and supported.
Clinical Experience & Leadership
Before joining Silvi Integrative Health, Shannon played a central role in the Santa Barbara County mental health system. She was a founding member of the interdisciplinary Familiar Faces Team within the Justice Alliance and served as dedicated 5150 staff for the Santa Barbara County Mobile Crisis Team. She also managed telehealth mental health services for both Santa Barbara County jail facilities. This work provided her with extensive experience supporting individuals navigating complex trauma, crisis, and treatment-resistant mood disorders.
This background allows Shannon to work comfortably with both high-acuity clinical presentations and high-functioning individuals and couples, offering care that is steady, grounded, and adaptable.
Currently Accepting New Patients
Therapeutic Approach
Shannon integrates evidence-based modalities with intuitive empathy, tailoring treatment to each client’s unique needs. Her clinical work is informed by:
- EMDR & Trauma Recovery (currently pursuing advanced training through the EMDR Institute)
- Internal Family Systems (IFS)–informed parts work
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Mindfulness-based interventions
She has particular experience supporting clients with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and complex trauma, as well as those seeking personal growth, relational clarity, and emotional resilience.
Global Perspective & Cultural Humility
A student of the world, Shannon participated in a five-week interfaith peace mission to the Middle East through Johns Hopkins and Chapman University. This experience deepened her commitment to culturally competent, spiritually inclusive care that honors each client’s background, identity, and belief system. She is proud to provide an LGBTQI+ affirming, safe space for all individuals.
Balance, Advocacy & the Power of Play
Outside the therapy room, Shannon finds balance through travel, cycling, the outdoors, and time at the beach. She believes that play is essential to sustainable mental wellness and that joy is not a luxury, but a vital part of healing. Her advocacy work includes volunteering as a Disaster Mental Health Caseworker with the American Red Cross and mentoring underserved youth—efforts that earned her recognition from the California State Senate.
Education
- M.A. in Marriage & Family Therapy, UMass Global (4.0 GPA)
- B.S. in Organizational Leadership, Colorado State University
- APA Campus Ambassador (2023–2024)
Shannon is honored to support clients at Silvi Integrative Health and looks forward to walking alongside individuals, couples, and families as they rediscover their own resilience, clarity, and vitality.
“What you are seeking is seeking you.” — Rumi
Not currently accepting new patients.
Sania Beig, Registered Psychology Associate
associate therapist
Sania Beig is a Registered Psychology Associate with the California Board of Psychology providing telehealth therapy under the supervision of Dr. Lisa Black, Psy.D., at Silvi Integrated Health. Sania is dedicated to supporting adolescents and adults navigating challenges such as anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, and adjustment disorders. She brings specialized experience in working with individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), helping them address associated cognitive, emotional, and behavioral changes.
Sania takes an integrative and trauma-informed approach to therapy, drawing from a variety of evidence-based modalities to best meet each client’s unique needs. She is skilled in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, all delivered securely via telehealth. Her therapeutic style is collaborative, supportive, and grounded in compassion—creating a safe space where clients feel seen, understood, and empowered to heal and grow. Sania believes that genuine human connection is at the heart of healing and strives to build trusting, collaborative relationships with each of her clients.
Sania’s clinical work is informed by a strong background in neuropsychology and clinical research. Before beginning her clinical practice, she contributed to extensive neuroimaging research at the Rotman Research Institute, exploring brain-behavior relationships in Alzheimer’s Disease. She is currently completing her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) at California Southern University, after obtaining her Masters in Psychology (MA) from Pepperdine University.
In her personal time, Sania enjoys hiking, baking banana bread, and spending quality time with her family and friends to maintain her own sense of balance and well-being.
Colleen cheung
associate therapist
Colleen Cheung (She/They) is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, currently supervised by Dr. Lisa Black, Psy.D., and pursuing a doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy (couple’s therapy). With over seven years of academic and clinical training from ELAC, UCLA, USC, and LLU, Colleen brings deep compassion, cultural insight, and clinical rigor to her work—infused with lived experience that enriches her relational approach to healing.
Her clinical background spans community mental health, the justice system, and crisis response, with specialized experience supporting exploited youth, felony offenders, and survivors of severe abuse. Colleen is trained in evidence-based practices such as EMDR and integrates Relational-Gestalt, Psychodynamic, and Internal Family Systems (IFS)approaches. This integrative framework allows her to stay grounded in the present-moment dynamics of therapy while gently exploring how past experiences and unconscious survival strategies shape current patterns. Colleen specializes in supporting individuals navigating Capital-T Trauma, chronic PTSD, attachment wounds, caregiver burnout, grief (including all 16 recognized types), identity development and reformation, people-pleasing and perfectionism, process addictions, cultural dissonance, first-generation immigrant experiences, and LGBTQIA+ identities.
Not currently accepting new patients.
Whether working with couples, adolescents, or adults, Colleen approaches therapy not as a process of ‘fixing,’ but as a meaningful opportunity to reconnect – with oneself, with others, and with the parts of us that were left behind in survival mode. She holds the therapeutic relationship as sacred. The very word psychotherapy means “tending to the deepest part of the human spirit,” and in that sacred space, emotions can be safely named, felt, and grieved. Colleen views healing not as mere symptom reduction, but as sustained, long-term transformation, part of a larger ecology of healing that honors each person’s complexity, resilience, and potential.
Before becoming a therapist, Colleen lived many lives—as an athlete, fitness trainer, musician, poet, and restaurant consultant. These diverse experiences now serve as creative tools and grounding wisdom in her therapeutic work, allowing her to bridge the emotional, physical, and metaphysical dimensions of healing. Today, she continues to enjoy these past roles as joyful pastimes that bring her community, laughter, and meaning.
Not currently accepting new patients.
Michelle ferris, psy.d.
associate therapist – Supervised by Dr. Lisa Black, Psy.D
Michelle helps adults and couples heal from complex trauma, anxiety, and stuck relational patterns. Her style is warm, collaborative, and insight-oriented. Clinically, she blends relational psychodynamic therapy with EMDR and somatic work, and she draws on evidence-based trauma treatments (e.g., CPT, ACT/DBT-informed skills) when helpful.
She earned her PsyD at the PGSP-Stanford Psy.D. Consortium, where her dissertation examined the practices and perspectives of psychedelic group facilitators—work that reflects her interest in ethically grounded, culturally sensitive psychedelic care.
Michelle trained at Access Institute in San Francisco, completing her doctoral internship and continuing as a postdoctoral fellow providing psychoanalytic therapy for adults and play therapy for children. Her prior experience includes the San Francisco VA (Women’s Mental Health & Trauma Clinic; DBT program; EFT couples rotation). At Stanford Psychiatry’s Psychosocial Clinic, she co-led the Interpersonal Growth Group, a 12-session modern analytic/FBGT-informed group attentive to culture and systemic forces that shape relationships.
Her scholarship includes a Psychopharmacology (2024) publication analyzing SSRI–psilocybin co-administration reports, and she has additional training in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) through the Rainfall & Polaris Insight Center experiential program.
Dr. Joyce Nakamoto, PhD., MA
associate therapist
Dr. Joyce Nakamoto, PhD., MA (she/her) received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California Institute for Human Science. She holds a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from California State University, Northridge. She is currently being supervised by Dr. Jacoubs-Beye.
Dr. Nakamoto has provided trauma therapy to California Victims of Crime, focusing on survivors of felony level violent crime, severe domestic violence, sexual assault, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She previously worked as a Children’s Social Worker at the Department of Children and Family Services in Los Angeles County, where she investigated child abuse and frequently collaborated with the Departments of Mental Health and Probation
Dr. Nakamoto’s holistic approach to treatment includes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness-based therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and relational psychodynamic psychotherapy. She is currently being trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR).
Dr. Nakamoto’s philosophy of the healing process from trauma is similar to the Japanese practice of Kintsugi. Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold. This method highlights the cracks and repairs, rather than trying to hide them. This technique celebrates these imperfections as part of the history of the object. The healed object is more beautiful in its repaired form!
Dr. Nakamoto is dedicated to creating a supportive, compassionate, and appropriately challenging space for the client to reflect, grow, and heal.
Not currently accepting new patients.
Dr. Lexi, Ph.D (pawsitive healing director)
cutest therapist
Dr. Lexi (she/her) serves as one of the esteemed support staff at Silvi Integrative Health. She specializes in cutting edge cuddle therapy and helps ground those who may feel fearful or overwhelmed. She is by far the most popular “therapist” at Silvi Integrative Health.
integrative insights: blogs made to heal
Ketamine + EMDR Retreat for Therapists | Silvi Integrative Health
Join our 5-day retreat for therapists, featuring ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, EMDR integration, and deep personal renewal. Sept 17–22, Santa Cruz.
How Dr. Lisa Black Integrates Trauma Therapy, Psychedelic Support & Holistic Care
In this video, Dr. Lisa Black, Psy.D., shares her experience with integrating neuroscience, EMDR, and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to support trauma healing.
Ready to Speak
with A Therapist?
Contact Information:
Phone: (831) 295-8118
Email: info@silviintegrativehealth.com
Website: www.silviintegrativehealth.com