Valerie Is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She graduated from the University of Tennessee with her BA in psychology in 1986 but returned to graduate school later in life after her children completed high school. She earned her MA from Richmont Graduate University in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2021 and has worked in private practice for 4 years. Valerie has always been interested in people’s life stories and over the years between college and graduate school she worked as a Federal Investigator, a stay-at-home mom of 5, and later volunteered with Hope Resource Center advocating for clients for 5 years. She has a rich, ever-evolving marriage of 38 years, and is passionate about encouraging couples in their quest for deeper understanding, richer relational satisfaction and restoration.
Valerie aspires to walk alongside couples and individuals in a safe and collaborative relationship while considering the whole person. She believes we are created for connection, but often we carry wounds and misperceptions from previous relationships and upbringing that keep us protecting ourselves and fearful of vulnerability with others. Understanding our relational patterns and deeper needs can help us unlock limitations and embrace the connections we long for. Often, we can’t change many of our external circumstances, but we can hope to change and grow within. Dallas Willard, a well-respected teacher and theologian said, “What matters most for how life goes…is what we are on the ‘inside’. Things good and bad will happen to us, of course. But what our life amounts to …is largely, if not entirely, a matter of what we become within.”
Valerie loves spending time with others, especially her husband, family, and close friends. She also loves outdoor activities; hiking, biking, pickleball, and being with their pet Australian Shepherd, Remi.
Valerie utilizes Emotionally Focused Therapy with couples and individuals, as well as, Brief Solution Focus and other styles depending on the client’s concerns and needs.
Fees
- $160/session (50 min)