About me.

Photo credit: Caroline King

Hi, I’m Valerie (they/them), a queer, New York-based Therapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 8 years of experience collaborating with clients on reaching their goals for healing and growth. I believe that each and every one of us deserves to feel safe, worthy, heard, and respected, which is why my approach to therapy centers client autonomy, compassion, and a liberation mindset. This means that I approach therapy from a trauma-informed, relational, embodied, and anti-oppressive lens, and that I strive to create an environment that is warm and non-judgmental so that you can bring your fullest and most authentic self to the work we do together.

If this framework speaks to you, I welcome you into my practice. How we work together will be guided by your interests and strengths, and the work we do will move at the pace that best suits your individual needs. I deeply believe that healing happens in safe, trusting relationship—which is why I commit myself to building safety and trust with you through the use of humor, compassion, active listening, and honest engagement. As a professional support and collaborative partner, I commit myself to truly listening to you.

My dedication to trauma work and relational healing includes a speciality in building therapeutic relationships that are sex-positive, free of size-based stigma, and that serve LGBTQIA+, non-monogamous, and neurodivergent individuals. I have a particular passion and joy for providing gender-affirming care to others in the trans and non-binary community, and I have a wealth of experience assisting clients in navigating transition-related resources (including providing mental health letters of support) and in exploring their relationship to authentic identity.

  • New York State Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW #093926)

    Masters of Social Work, Hunter College School of Social Work

    PhD, Italian Studies, New York University

  • Foundations in Transgender Medical and Mental Health – WPATH Global Education Initiative

    EMDR Institute Basic Training, (Parts I and II)

    Somatic Experiencing International, Beginner I-III, Intermediate I-II

    Gottman Method Couples Therapy, Level I – The Gottman Institute

    Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Level I – Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy (IOCDF-Approved Training)

    Introduction to Hypnotherapy & Advanced Clinical Hypnosis, New York Society for Ericksonian Psychotherapy and Hypnosis

Training,
Education,
& Licensure

I offer my training in Relational Therapy, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Mindfulness-Based CBT, Hypnotherapy, DBT, and Trauma-Informed care as a complement to the self-knowledge that you already possess. In our work, I’ll make explicit room for open and flexible conversations about identity, self-worth, career, sex, and relationships. I’ll bring a commitment to honoring your reality while actively exploring the possibility of healing and practical change, checking in along the way to make sure I’ve understood your needs and goals so that I can work alongside you to let them shine.