Sylvia's therapy style of offering tools for life in a safe environment is invaluable. Having the space to be able to be open and honest about one's feelings and fears, especially in the world's current climate, is worth everything. For myself, I have found, that therapy made my quality of life better. It was like having a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I can't recommend Sylvia highly enough. read more

Quoted scripture in my first session. If I wanted religion I'd go to a place of worship.

Sylvia is a tremendously compassionate therapist. She makes you feel like anything you share is important and worth talking about.

I highly recommend Sylvia...she is attentive, compassionate and provides a lot of suggestions without pushing them. She is dedicated to get to the root of the problem/issue and does so with care. Sylvia is a great therapist to work with and we highly recommend. read more

I do not recommend Sylvia for any relationship counseling. Me and my boyfriend sought help with out relationship and were enticed by her website that stated she could assist us in moving away from our past resentments and help us learn to argue in a healthy manner. We went to Sylvia 6 times and we had to reiterate numerous times that we came to her because we wanted to BE TOGETHER and SAVE THE RELATIONSHIP. She spent many of our sessions telling us we were not compatible and that she could not help us. Yet that is what she claims to be able to help with on her website? She finally spent our last session, yesterday, telling us that she would not like us to come back as a couple as she cannot help us. Very disappointed and a huge waste in our time, money, and honestly I feel it has set our relationship back. Do not seek out this therapist for any relationship issues, or for anything at all in my opinion. read more

Sylvia is an amazing person AND therapist. I was very nervous to try therapy (who isn't, right?) and I wasn't sure what to expect, and I am so glad I went on a whim and booked an appointment with Sylvia based off her Yelp and Google reviews. Sylvia is very kind, professional and non-judgmental which made my first therapy experience so wonderful. She always made me feel comfortable and safe, and her rates are extremely affordable. If you are considering therapy, then I highly recommend Sylvia. And no, she did not ask me to write her a Yelp review, like how some businesses/practices do. I am writing this review because she absolutely deserves the recognition! Thank you for everything, Sylvia!!! -Jasmine read more

Five starts is not enough - Sylvia is AMAZING both as a therapist and a person and I feel truly blessed to have found her. We started working with Sylvia for individual and marriage counseling and the impact she has had in our lives has been life changing. Sylvia's manner is calm and reassuring and you feel safe from the moment you begin working with her. Both myself and my husband felt totally comfortable working through our problems and Sylvia was able to identity the true root of our points of conflict - there were so many "ah-ha" moments and the shift back towards a positive loving relationships was dramatic after each session. Sylvia has been a true guide and mentor, giving us invaluable tools and empowering us to live a happy and authentic life. I cannot thank you enough Sylvia for all you have done for our family! read more

My wife and I have been seeing Sylvia for several months now, both individually and as a couple. we have been together for 30 years and both hold degrees in Psychology as well. I have seen many different therapists in the past and Sylvia is spot on every session. She is helping us navigate some serious trauma/issues in our marriage. I think were gonna make it. I highly recommend Sylvia for both individual and couples counseling. She is the bomb diggity!! Thanks Sylvia. PS, the 2 negative review have it ALL WRONG. Sylvia is an intense listener, sees and understands issues clearly, produces solutions to work through them and is very thoughtful, supportive, kind and especially humble. CALL her! xoxo read more

I came to Sylvia seeking guidance and direction regarding my marriage and my life. She has provided solid, practicl advice in a straightforward manner. Rather than blaze a trail for me she has provided me with tools to create my own path to a better life. I feel more directed and confident than i did when I first met with her. She has an easy-going style and allows the right amount of levity to make each session productive and enjoyable even as we tackle very heavy subject matter. I would like to do two things. First, give her more stars as five is not enough. Second, I would like to grab several people that I know and drag them to her office for an appointment. She can and will help you. Make that call! read more

Sylvia is AMAZING. I was instantly comfortable with her from the first visit. She has been an invaluable resource for guiding me through the loss of my husband. She is a perfect combination between providing affirmation and challenging me with each visit and homework. I can say with certainty that I would not be managing my grief in a healthy way without her guiding light. My only regret is that I hadn't been seeng her for years before this period of my life. I highly recommend her! read more

I went to Sylvia during a very stressful divorce. I needed help dealing with the stress, how I can be there for my kids, get my confidence back and how I can work on me so I didn't repeat old patterns. Sylvia is amazing!! What I thought was important was that she got what I was saying..not just there to "listen". I walked out of her office having insight and the tools to work on my issues. She is a very professional, compassionate and approachable. She really helped me get my life straight and I only need to see her when I need a mental tune up. I highly recommended her and I do it all the time read more

If you make the decision that it would be helpful to speak with someone about your struggles - I highly recommend Sylvia. After trying to work things out on my own for decades, I decided to make an appointment to see if she could help. She is insightful in a non-judging way and has a gentle manner to her. When speaking with her, I can feel her compassion and her desire to want to help. She has given me perspectives I had not even considered (over the past several years) and I feel like this has opened up a whole new, brighter chapter to my life. I can't thank you enough Sylvia! A couple of bonuses: convenience of making appointments online and I have not had issues with finding parking. read more

Sylvia is insightful and empathetic, and she's a wonderful listener. She makes helpful, pragmatic suggestions that I've been able to put into practice immediately. I especially value this about her, since I don't go to therapy just to be heard, but also to get a fresh perspective on the things I'm working on. Sessions are productive and goal-oriented, and I leave feeling as if I've examined my ife, and have tangible things to consider and try. Sylvia's terrific, and I recommend her services enthusiastically. read more

I have seen many therapists and counsellors in my life. My husband and I saw Sylvia for several months and while ultimately we mutually decided divorce was our best option, Sylvia helped us find closure and understanding with each other. I am very grateful for her guidance and understanding. Unlike other counsellors we have seen, neither of us felt judged or "at fault". Highly recommended. read more

I have had a lot of experience with the mental health profession, and most of it has been disappointing, negative, and/ or horrible in one way or another. Working with Sylvia has been the exact opposite of that and she has been a breath of fresh air since the time I first met her. She's kind, compassionate, gentle, and encouraging, while also being assertive and firm when necessary. I have had a lot of issues to work through and I've felt safe and validated by her listening--though she is not passive, she speaks when it's appropriate and listens when she should. Also, she remembers things! She has a good mind for details even though she doesn't take notes. Overall I have found my experience with her to be totally rewarding. She is an excellent representation of the mental health profession to someone who had lost faith in it. She is very suited to counseling and if you need this service, I dn't think you can go wrong by choosing her to help you. read more

I came to see Sylvia in my early 60s; I so wish I had started seeking professional guidance for dealing with issues at a much younger age. 60 years of baggage is a lot to unload. Issues with my ex, my child, my sibling, and my parents were finally too much to bear after hobbling along thinking I was holding it all together my entire life. She helped me break down and examine my relationships and how I was responding to situations. There have been quite a few ah-ha moments that she led me to discover for myself. She is kind and patient and provides tissues for the tears. Friends can be a source of comfort, but they have their own drama and concerns. It helps to talk to a professional. I highly recommend Sylvia. read more

About six years ago Sylvia Flanagan helped my family in a time of great need with her insightful, patient, discerning therapeutic processes. My son was experimenting with drugs and alcohol as a teenager. My husband and I were feeling very hopeless as no matter what we said, our son continued his behaviors, and was becoming angrier at us daily as we tried to share our insights and wisdom (NOT what he wanted to hear!). Sylvia found the right and perfect way to intervene, and be a safe person for our son to be frank with...and then she helped my husband and I to lead in a more cohesive manner, helping our son in positive ways. Thank you Sylvia! read more

Cynthia is a one in a million genuine person. My husband and I had the opportunity to stay at her bed and breakfast retreat and it was just that a real TREAT . From the time we woke up she had breakfast and fresh squeezed juice for us on the table . she also helped me with learning breathing exercises and helped to clear my nasal passages with her homopathic herbal remedy. She is very caring and empathetic to your needs and she has much knowledge of the body , mind , spirit , connection. The location of her bed and breakfast was also ideal because she is centrally located to the local attracitions , sea world, blaboa park, mission beach , downtown etc. I would recommend this bed and breakfast to one who truly appreciates genuine caring and hospitality for you as a person and a guest .. It is definately an experience me and Husband will never forget . read more

Sylvia is a wonderful and enlightening counselor, listener and teacher. Through our work together over the last several years, I have become a person I like and value much more than before I began working with Sylvia. It is amazing to me how the process works, but I can honestly say that, because of her and the work we have done, I am a much happier person and I appreciate life and the people around me to such a greater extent than I ever did before. I see the positives in life and in people now much more often, where I seem to have gotten into habits before of having unreasonable expectations on myself and others. I also appreciate the little things in life to a greater degree now, and truly treasure and value my relationships with others. I feel compassion, rather than frustration or judgment, more often now; and, I feel much more able to love and to allow myself to be loved. Sylvia has truly changed my life in so many positive and wonderful ways. I feel saddened by those who say they've had a "bad" counselor or that their experiences with counselors have been poor .... I wish these people could experience a counselor like Sylvia because I know they would not feel the same way about therapy and counseling! When I first started seeing her regularly, I was in my mid-to-late twenties and going through all that turmoil we all tend to go through during that time in our lives, and she helped me come out of it all a much stronger and happier person. Now, approaching my mid thirties, I check in with her when I need a "tune-up" or when my life seems to be getting unmanageable again ... and, I always leave our sessions feeling revived and enlightened once again! She is like a favorite church, vacation and spa treatment--all rolled into one!! :) read more