PuttingFamilyFirst

The therapist listings are provided by BetterHelp and we will earn a commission if you use our link - at no cost to you.

SD Portrait of Siyama Drake
Online therapist

Siyama Drake

Family-focused counselor with trauma expertise

Credentials
LPC
Experience
26 years
Licensed in
Georgia
Languages
English
Format
Online sessions

About Siyama

Siyama Drake is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with 26 years of clinical experience. She draws on practical, evidence-based tools to help families and parents manage stress, anxiety, relationship strains, and the effects of trauma. Her style balances support with direct, focused work to remove obstacles that keep families stuck.

She often uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which looks at how thoughts, feelings, and actions connect. She also applies Trauma-Focused approaches when past events are driving current problems.

Background and approach

Sessions are tailored to what each family needs; sometimes conversations are gentle, and sometimes they include clear challenges to change long-standing patterns. Siyama has worked in both residential and community settings, giving her wide experience with family dynamics and trauma histories. That background informs how she approaches blended families, adoption and foster care matters, and attachment concerns.

She also addresses issues like communication breakdowns, impulsivity, and relationship conflicts. Parents and caregivers can expect practical, doable strategies for coping with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Siyama also supports people dealing with body image, women's issues, and the fallout of sexual assault and abuse.

She pays attention to the household systems around a problem, not just the individual symptoms. Her work emphasizes clear goals and steady progress. Siyama helps clients set realistic steps and checks in on what’s working.

Families leave sessions with tools they can use between meetings and a clearer plan for moving forward.

Therapeutic approaches for families online

Many families find Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helpful because it focuses on changing unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns. In practice this means identifying thought patterns that increase anxiety or conflict and trying small, concrete experiments to shift them. Mindfulness Therapy helps parents and caregivers notice stress responses and calm down in the moment, using simple breathing and attention exercises to reduce reactivity.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. Siyama will talk with the family about goals, priorities, and what feels realistic. Together they decide which approaches to try and adjust the plan as progress is made so the work stays practical and focused on real day-to-day needs.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which provide flexibility for busy households. Video lets the therapist observe interaction patterns during sessions, while phone calls can fit into tighter schedules. Live chat and text messaging make it easier to check in between sessions and to get short, timely guidance when issues arise. These options make it simpler to maintain consistent work and follow through on strategies discussed in sessions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.

Mindfulness Therapy

Attention training: noticing thoughts and physical feelings as they arrive without being carried off by them. Much of it is practice you do yourself, so guidance over video or audio works much as it would in person.

Solution-Focused Therapy

Rather than examining the problem at length, this looks at what is already working and builds on it. Sessions tend to be practical and forward-looking, with small achievable steps, which translates readily to shorter online conversations.

Frequently asked questions

What concerns does Siyama address?
Siyama focuses on stress, anxiety, relationships, family issues, trauma and abuse, and depression. She also works with specific topics like attachment issues, blended family problems, adoption and foster care, and women's issues.
What is her therapeutic approach like?
She uses practical approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma-Focused methods, along with mindfulness and solution-focused techniques. Sessions combine supportive listening with targeted exercises and homework when helpful.
How much experience does she have?
Siyama has 26 years of experience working in residential and community settings with children, couples, and families who have trauma histories. That experience shapes her work with family dynamics and crisis recovery.
What credentials and location apply?
She holds the LPC credential - Licensed Professional Counselor - with license number GA LPC LPC004940. She practices from Georgia.
Which languages and international options are available?
Sessions are offered in English. International clients are accepted.
What session formats are offered?
Sessions can be conducted by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options allow for flexibility in how families connect.
How are costs handled?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time. Exact pricing depends on the subscriber plan selected.
How do I begin working with Siyama?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button and completing a short matching questionnaire. After that, schedule sessions based on the therapist's availability.

Next step

Talk to Siyama

  • Takes a few minutes
  • Nothing to set up just to look
  • Stop at any point