About Valarie
Valarie Johnson is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with three decades of counseling experience. She practices from Washington and supports people facing stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, and major life changes. Valarie combines practical techniques with thoughtful listening to help people move forward.
Her background includes long-term work in diverse settings, including many years working overseas with expatriate and indigenous communities. That experience shaped an ability to work across cultural differences and to notice how life context affects stress and relationships.
Background and approach
She draws on a wide range of clinical approaches to match each person’s needs. Valarie’s style is kind and direct. She offers encouragement and also honest feedback when clients need a nudge to try something different.
Sessions focus on what people want to achieve and on small, doable steps toward those goals. Her approach blends Client-Centered Therapy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic ideas, plus solution-focused techniques. That mix lets her address immediate coping skills while also looking at deeper patterns that keep problems coming back.
She can incorporate faith-based perspectives when a client asks for that. People who appreciate practical homework, clear conversation, and steady support tend to fit well with her way of working. She aims to create a working plan, adjust it as needed, and help people build clearer routines and healthier responses to stress.
Therapeutic approaches for online work
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening, empathy, and helping a person set their own goals. It is useful when someone needs space to talk through feelings and decide what matters most. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors and teaches practical skills to change patterns that increase anxiety or depression. It often includes short exercises and homework to practice between sessions.Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with the person about their goals, try techniques, and adjust the plan based on what helps. That means sessions can shift from skills-based work to deeper exploration when needed, or blend both approaches at once.
Online sessions can take place by video, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different lifestyles. Video calls work well for focused conversations and visible cues, phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited, live chat fits quick check-ins, and messaging supports brief ongoing contact between meetings. These options make it simpler to keep therapy consistent around work, caregiving, or travel.
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What this therapist works with
Most often
Also listed
- Abandonment
- Addictions
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Codependency
- Compassion fatigue
- Coping with life changes
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating disorders
- Family of origin issues
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Life purpose
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Post-traumatic stress
- Relationship issues
- Self esteem
- Women's issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 30 years
- Licensed
- Washington
- Languages
- English
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