About me.
Photo credit: Caroline King
Hi, I’m Valerie (they/them), a queer, New York-based Therapist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 7 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, anti-oppressive, and anti-racist 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.
I specialize in building therapeutic relationships that are sex-positive, free of size-based stigma, fat positive, and that serve individuals living within the LGBQIA+, Trans, Non-Binary, Kink, BDSM, Poly, and Non-Monogamous communities. Like any relationship, this practice requires trust—trust that I commit myself to building 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. How we work together will be guided by your interests and strengths, and the work we do will move at the pace that feels best to you.
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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
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Foundations in Transgender Medical and Mental Health – WPATH Global Education Initiative
EMDR Institute Basic Training, (Parts I and 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 Therapy, 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, academics, 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.