We had the good fortune of connecting with Sipora Weissman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sipora, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Habits that help me to succeed are just working hard! As a therapist, I often see clients with complex issues such as chronic pain and illness, sound sensitivities (Misophonia), and childhood trauma. I am fascinated in the brain and how it can change! I read a lot and take a lot of professional trainings. I also regularly consult with others in the field. It’s so important to me that I am prepared and knowledgable to help my clients. I’ve always been a very driven person. Working in the field that I love just pushes me further. I’m not sure if I recommend this, but I started taking advanced therapist trainings while I was getting my masters degree, putting them on a credit card! I first took EMDR trauma training while in school because I wanted to learn and be good at something that would help my clients to go deeper in therapy. I also put time into making a website early on- learning about SEO, google. Starting a business is a hustle for sure. Now I’ve trained in Somatic Experiencing, Internal Family Systems, and more. It’s important to me to have a lot of tools in my tool box!I am a bit Type-A so I try to balance this with making sure I take care of myself- sleep, movement, meditation, making time for fun and good people in my life!

The lessons I have learned through my life is that you just have to keep on pushing forward. There’s always going to be bumps along the way. A lot of people, including myself, had tough upbringings. I just do my best to be kind towards myself, work hard, learn, keep going, and help people.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker that sees clients online and in person at my office in Ventura. Like I said previously, I see a lot of clients with what I call Mind-Body Syndromes. Another term for this is Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS), which was coined by the late Dr. John Sarno who really made Mind-Body healing mainstream. Now, professionals in the field have renamed it to Psychophysiologic Disorders. Basically, all the names just mean that the brain and nervous system are affecting the physical body. I work with a lot of people who have pelvic pain, chronic back pain, migraines, Fibromyalgia and more. I use cognitive tools to support neuroplasticty- how the brain can change, and I use a lot of nervous system tools to help my clients regulate themselves. I also see clients with Misophonia, which is a sound sensitivity. People with Misophonia have an anger, disgust, or panic reaction to certain noises. It’s definitely a complex issue! A lot of my clients also have complex trauma histories which can contribute to these issues. I also see people without these issues but that tend to have trauma histories.  I hold a lot of compassion for all of my clients!

Being a therapist is a second career for me. My first career was in TV. I am a creative person and now mix my creativity into my business and therapy practice. It’s fun for me to share knowledge on social media- tik tok, instagram, facebook. I love making videos and info-graphics to share the knowledge that I have with everyone out there!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Ventura County now, which is not too far from LA. When I lived in LA I loved hitting up Santa Monica and Venice, especially Abbott Kinney. I worked in West Hollywood and the vibe there definitely holds a special place in my heart. Now in Ventura County, I spend a lot of time in Ojai- there’s so much wellness activities to do there. My favorite restaurants are probably the Hip Vegan and The Deer Lodge. There’s lots of crystal and spiritual shops which I am drawn to. I also love driving north to Santa Barbara and getting seafood and even further to Los Olivos and Solvang.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people that have supported me in my career! First off my father “Lee”. Probably the most important person in my life who is always there to support me even though he’s on the opposite side of the country! My old supervisor Nyssa Von Doeren, LMFT. She’s possibly the kindest person I know. My brother and sister and law, Ben & Florie, also huge supports. Lastly, my boyfriend Adam definitely has put up with my therapist training addiction and is my go to person for business advice.

Website: www.siporaweissman.com

Instagram: @healingwithsipora

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healingwithsipora

Other: tik tok- @healingwithsipora

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