Valerie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Peer Recovery Coach with more than 14 years of experience supporting adolescents and adults navigating mental health, trauma, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. Valerie has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, emergency departments, outpatient counseling, residential treatment, and correctional facilities, giving her extensive experience helping individuals through crisis as well as long-term recovery. She is especially passionate about serving underserved populations and empowering clients to recognize their strengths while working toward meaningful, lasting change.

Valerie specializes in treating trauma, substance use disorders, dual diagnosis, domestic violence, family-of-origin concerns, codependency, caregiver stress, relationship challenges, abandonment issues, and life transitions. She has extensive experience providing crisis intervention, biopsychosocial assessments, safety planning, and case management, while collaborating with multidisciplinary healthcare teams to ensure comprehensive, coordinated care. As a Certified Peer Recovery Coach, Valerie also brings a unique perspective to supporting individuals in all stages of recovery through relapse prevention, advocacy, and recovery-oriented care.

Valerie's therapeutic approach is trauma-informed, strengths-based, and collaborative, recognizing that every client's path to healing is unique. She incorporates evidence-based techniques including Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), solution-focused interventions, reflective listening, and person-centered therapy to help clients build resilience, strengthen coping skills, and achieve their personal goals. Valerie is committed to creating a compassionate, nonjudgmental environment where clients feel safe, supported, and empowered to move forward with confidence and hope.