About
- CBT techniques
- Psychodynamic ideas
- Solution-focused steps
About Valarie
Valarie Johnson is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Washington with 30 years of counseling experience. She has worked across many settings and with a wide range of concerns including anxiety, depression, trauma, stress, family of origin issues, life transitions, and cross-cultural adjustment. She also lists parenting, addictions, grief, and self-esteem among her areas of focus.
Her style is straightforward and supportive. She uses a mix of approaches - cognitive behavioral ideas, solution-focused steps, and psychodynamic thinking - and adapts them to what a person needs. Sessions tend to pair practical tools with time to look at deeper patterns that affect daily life.
Valarie can incorporate faith-based perspectives when asked, while respecting different backgrounds and preferences. She often offers clear suggestions and gentle challenges to help people make changes they choose for themselves.
Her background includes long experience abroad, including work with expatriate and indigenous communities, which informs how she approaches cultural and life-transition issues. That experience shapes how she addresses cross-cultural stress and adjustment.
People who contact her can expect a mix of short-term problem solving and longer work on underlying patterns. She aims to help people manage immediate stress while identifying next steps for longer term change.
How sessions work
Approaches used online and what they do
Client-Centered Therapy focuses on listening and responding to what matters most to the person. It supports people who need a clearer sense of their own priorities and decisions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going. It offers concrete exercises for anxiety, low mood, stress, eating concerns, and similar issues.
Psychodynamic Therapy pays attention to patterns that repeat across relationships and time. It can help when someone wants to understand why they react a certain way or keep getting stuck.
Choosing the right mix of approaches is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to identify goals and try methods that fit those goals. This is a practical conversation and may shift as needs change.
Confirm the therapist's current online session options before booking, since specific formats are not listed here. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when needed, and remove the need to travel. Those practical benefits help people maintain momentum while they work on stress, parenting strain, trauma recovery, or life transitions.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
Also works with
Additional focus areas
Therapeutic approaches
Experience
30+ years
Listed in
Washington
Languages
English
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What concerns does she help with?
She works with stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, depression, parenting strain, addictions, relationship and self-esteem issues, among others.
What is her therapeutic style like?
Her style is generally direct and supportive. She combines practical techniques with exploration of underlying patterns.
How much experience does she have?
She has about 30 years of experience in counseling across many settings, including extended work overseas.
What are her credentials and where is she located?
She is a LICSW licensed in Washington and practices from that state.
In which language are sessions offered?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not accepted.
What session formats are available?
Confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here.
How are fees and billing handled?
Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Click the See online therapy options button, complete the short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.
Details come from information the therapist supplied to BetterHelp. A license can be checked with the state board.
Online talk therapy is not emergency care. If anyone is in danger, use the crisis numbers.