About Valerie
Valerie Engel helps people who are overwhelmed, stuck, or burned out find clearer footing. She listens closely and helps clients notice their strengths. Her approach focuses on practical steps that can reduce stress and improve daily functioning.
She uses Client-Centered methods to create a respectful, nonjudgmental space. She combines that with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thoughts and build new habits. Sessions often include skill-building, communication practice, and straightforward tools for sleeping and mood management.
How Valerie works
Valerie began work in addiction and recovery in 2007 and expanded into broader mental health therapy in 2017. That background informs her work with substance concerns and co-occurring issues. She also supports people facing trauma, grief, relationship strain, career shifts, and caregiver stress.
Her practice addresses a wide range of concerns including depression, low self-esteem, intimacy-related worries, and compassion fatigue. She also helps with sleep problems, codependency, body image, and dissociation. Valerie holds LPC and LMHC credentials and practices in Washington.
Sessions focus on clear goals and steady progress. Valerie helps people build skills they can use between meetings. The emphasis is on practical change and restoring a sense of control.
Valerie lists 2 ways of working on the entry:
What Valerie works with
The areas below are the ones Valerie selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Addictions
- Sleeping disorders
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Avoidant personality
- Body image
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Depression
- Dissociation
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Post-traumatic stress
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Relationship issues
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Somatization
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Registers | LPC, LMHC |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 18 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Washington |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How Valerie’s approaches work online
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on respectful listening and collaboration. The therapist follows the person's lead, reflects concerns, and helps people feel understood so they can explore goals and options. This approach supports people dealing with relationship strain, compassion fatigue, or life transitions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions. Sessions identify unhelpful thought patterns and teach practical exercises to change behavior and improve mood. CBT is often used for depression, anxiety, sleep issues, and addictive patterns.
Finding the best approach is a shared process. The therapist will discuss goals, try methods that match those goals, and adjust based on what works. Clients help set the pace and choose which skills to focus on during their work together.
Online sessions are offered by licensed professionals using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation and screen-sharing for worksheets. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or a quieter voice check-in is needed. Live chat and text messaging suit brief updates, quick skill practice, or people who prefer typed conversation. These options make therapy easier to fit into busy schedules and help maintain continuity when travel or location change otherwise interrupts care.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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