Silvia Costales, MFT, BCN

Silvia Costales, MFT, BCNSilvia Costales, MFT, BCNSilvia Costales, MFT, BCN
  • Home
  • Additional Information
    • For Referring Providers
    • More About Psychotherapy
    • More About Neurofeedback
    • More About Silvia
    • Resources
  • More
    • Home
    • Additional Information
      • For Referring Providers
      • More About Psychotherapy
      • More About Neurofeedback
      • More About Silvia
      • Resources

Silvia Costales, MFT, BCN

Silvia Costales, MFT, BCNSilvia Costales, MFT, BCNSilvia Costales, MFT, BCN
  • Home
  • Additional Information
    • For Referring Providers
    • More About Psychotherapy
    • More About Neurofeedback
    • More About Silvia
    • Resources

More About Silvia

Additional Information

 I am licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT #46421).

Like the majority of California MFT's (unlike in other states, where, as the  name implies, MFT's specialize in families and couples) I work primarily with individuals, both adults and adolescents.

MFT’s are unique in the mental health field in that our approach to mental  health issues is rooted in the philosophy that mental illness or unwellness occurs in the context of relationships: to self, significant other, family, spirituality, society, economy, and so on. That is to say that we are part of larger systems that shape and influence who we are and how we are. And also, by extension, that relationships are the context within which we can heal, come to terms with, or transcend our circumstances.

I have extensive training in a wide variety of therapies and draw inspiration from a multitude of sources and approaches including contemporary psychoanalysis, the Stark method, existential psychotherapy, Jungian psychology, deep brain reorienting, dialectic-behavioral therapy, systems theory, motivational interviewing, coherence therapy, accelerated experiential dynamic psychotherapy, somatic experiencing, sensorimotor psychotherapy, EMDR, family constellation work, narrative therapy, interpersonal neurobiology, yogic philosophy, and neuroscience in general.

I have been working as a psychotherapist since 2004, and I opened my private practice in at the end of 2008. I added neurofeedback to my practice in 2011 because I found that it powerfully addresses many of the issues that people commonly bring to  therapy (anxiety, depression, trauma, poor sleep, or diminished performance) and thus markedly accelerates treatment.

The initials “BCN” after my name indicate that I am Board Certified in  Neurofeedback by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA).  BCIA is the only institute recognized worldwide that grants certification to biofeedback practitioners. The Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB), the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe (BFE), and the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR) all endorse BCIA certification.

Neurofeedback is a proven and effective treatment and alternative to medication for problems with attention, mood, recovery from trauma, and many other common mental health issues. I’m proud to be able to offer my clients this powerful tool for healing in addition to psychotherapy.

I had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR) from 2016-2018.

Services Offered:

  • individual psychotherapy, intensive short-term or open-ended 
  • neurofeedback,  various forms: traditional amplitude or SMR training, the proven,  established method for a wide variety of conditions; z-score, a novel approach which trains the brain against a normative database;  alpha-theta or deep states training which has a long history of use in  recovery from substance abuse or trauma; ISF or infra-slow fluctuation training, which targets foundational electrophysiological activity in the brain that is critical to patterns of activation and rest in the human body.  This form of neurofeedback is particularly effective for anxiety, trauma, insomnia, migraine, and more.
  • deep brain reorienting (Level 3) for healing from acute or developmental traumas. You can read more about this cutting edge neuroscientific approach at www.deepbrainreorienting.com
  • neurofeedback mentoring for practitioners working toward BCIA certification.

Presentations

Clinician Panel: Practical Implementations of Neurofeedback in Practice

Clinician Panel: Practical Implementations of Neurofeedback in Practice

Clinician Panel: Practical Implementations of Neurofeedback in Practice

Invited panelist along with Sebern Fisher, MA, LMH, BCN, and Amber  Fasula, PsyD, BCN. Interviewed by Leslie Sherlin, PhD, CMPC, QEEGD, BCN,  BCB. ISNR Conference, October 2018. Glendale, Arizona. 

Adding Neurofeedback to Your Psychotherapy Practice

Clinician Panel: Practical Implementations of Neurofeedback in Practice

Clinician Panel: Practical Implementations of Neurofeedback in Practice

ISNR.org 1-hour webinar presentation. September 2018. Available for purchase online.

Introduction to Neurofeedback for Psychotherapists

Introduction to Neurofeedback for Psychotherapists

Introduction to Neurofeedback for Psychotherapists

Redwood Empire Chapter of CAMFT. 1.5 hour continuing education presentation. September 2017. Santa Rosa, California. 

Introduction to Neurofeedback for Psychotherapists

Introduction to Neurofeedback for Psychotherapists

Introduction to Neurofeedback for Psychotherapists

Guilford Family Counseling ‘Lunch & Learn’. Thirty-minute didactic presentation. August 2017. Santa Rosa, California.

Services

Psychotherapy

I hold therapy both as a structured, and goal-oriented pursuit aimed at symptom resolution as well as a philosophical, contemplative, experiential, and relational process seeking for us both to make sense of, understand, and appreciate the wisdom and meaning of your nervous system and psyche and why you feel the way you do. "There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy." -Nietzsche


Neurofeedback

Services Related to Neurofeedback

Traditional Amplitude or SMR Training

The proven, established method for a wide variety of conditions .

ISF or Infra-slow Fluctuation

Targets the electrophysiology of the brain at a foundational level, critical to patterns of activation and rest throughout the human body. This form of neurofeedback is particularly effective for anxiety, trauma, insomnia, compulsions, migraine, and more.

Brain Maps - qEEG

A 19-channel recording of EEG is compared to a normative database  revealing areas of atypical brain activity. I recommend a qEEG whenever there is a history of brain injury, stroke, or seizure. My reports  include sLORETA (standardized low-resolution electromagnetic tomographic analysis), medical review, and recommendations for neurofeedback  training (specific protocols). QEEG is also used in psychiatry for differential diagnosis and medication selection.

Mentoring

Neurofeedback mentoring for practitioners working toward BCIA certification or any therapist interested in using neurofeedback in their practice.

Alpha-theta or Deep States

This type of training has a long history of use in recovery from substance abuse or trauma.

Z-score

A novel approach which trains the brain against a normative database. 

Copyright © 2025 Silvia Costales, MFT, BCN - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

This website uses cookies.

Cookies track how many people come to this site, optimize how fast it loads, and record metrics related to third party integrations like if you found me through a search engine. By accepting cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

DeclineAccept