Dr. Sophia Sills-Tailor is a licensed professional counselor, counselor educator, and founder of Coastal Virginia Mental Health Services in Virginia Beach. With more than two decades of experience in mental health, she combines clinical expertise, academic leadership, and community engagement to support individuals, families, and the next generation of counseling professionals.
Dr. Sills-Tailor holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision from Old Dominion University and a Master of Clinical Service Operations from Harvard Medical School, where she focused on healthcare systems, program evaluation, and improving the delivery of clinical services within behavioral health organizations.
In addition to leading her practice, Dr. Sills-Tailor serves as an Assistant Professor in a CACREP-accredited counselor education program, where she teaches graduate counseling students and contributes to the preparation of future professional counselors. She also supervises counseling residents and mentors practicum and internship students within her clinic, helping emerging clinicians develop ethical, evidence-based, and compassionate approaches to care.
Dr. Sills-Tailor maintains an active counseling caseload and works with clients experiencing anxiety, depression, stress, relationship challenges, and life transitions. Her therapeutic style is known for being both warm and direct, helping clients feel heard while also encouraging practical steps toward meaningful change. She integrates evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Motivational Interviewing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy.
Throughout her career, Dr. Sills-Tailor has provided counseling, crisis consultation, and psychological first aid across a range of settings including community mental health programs, military family support services, and workplace employee assistance programs. She also served as an in-house counselor supporting employees through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Employee Assistance Program, where she provided short-term counseling, crisis consultation, and mental health support for employees and leadership teams.
In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Sills-Tailor regularly presents at professional conferences on topics such as counselor ethics, trauma-informed care, counselor development, and innovative approaches to mental health services. Her work reflects a deep commitment to strengthening the counseling profession while ensuring that individuals and families have access to thoughtful, high-quality care.
At the heart of her work is a simple belief: when people feel understood, supported, and equipped with the right tools, meaningful change becomes possible.