Valarie Johnson, LICSW

Valarie Johnson is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with three decades of counseling experience. She brings direct, compassionate guidance to people coping with stress, anxiety, grief, depression, trauma, and life changes. Valarie emphasizes practical steps people can use between sessions to feel steadier and more in control.

She has worked in a wide range of settings and has long experience helping people navigate family of origin concerns, relationship strain, parenting challenges, addiction, and compassion fatigue. Valarie also supports people facing issues tied to adoption and foster care, aging and caregiver stress, hospice and end-of-life questions, and post-traumatic stress.

Her style is warm but straightforward. She listens closely, asks clear questions, and offers challenges that help people try new behaviors. That balance aims to help clients make concrete changes rather than stay stuck in indecision.

Valarie draws from several approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, client-centered methods, psychodynamic ideas, and solution-focused techniques. She adapts these to each person, using what seems most helpful for the situation and goals at hand.

Sessions may include skills practice, reflection on patterns that keep problems going, and short-term plans to test new ways of coping. Valarie describes counseling as a partnership in which she supports growth while inviting clients to take manageable steps toward their goals.

How Valarie Uses Talk Therapy Online

Valarie commonly draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered work to guide online sessions. CBT focuses on identifying thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and practicing new, helpful skills; it often helps with anxiety, depression, and stress. Client-centered therapy emphasizes listening and building a respectful, nonjudgmental relationship so clients can find their own solutions and feel heard.

Choosing the best approach is a collaborative process. She will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and what feels most useful, then try methods that match those needs. Adjustments are made over time if something isn’t working as hoped.

Online sessions are offered as video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to make therapy easier to fit into everyday life. Video is useful for a fuller conversation, phone can work when bandwidth is limited, live chat suits short check-ins, and messaging helps people track progress between sessions. These options give flexibility for different schedules and communication styles while keeping the focus on making steady, practical progress.