Valerie Engel , LPC, LMHC

Valerie Engel listens deeply and helps people reconnect with their own strengths and wisdom. She works with individuals to build practical strategies and skills that address relationship struggles, sleeping difficulties, low self-esteem, depression, trauma, and challenges related to addiction and life transitions. By focusing on improving communication, identifying and challenging negative thinking patterns, and developing healthier coping skills, she guides each person toward meaningful change and greater self-mastery.

Her approach draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and client-centered methods, along with motivational interviewing, mindfulness practices, and targeted assessments of work-life balance. She is certified in HeartMath for stress management and in Trauma Sensitive HeartMath, methods designed to help reduce stress symptoms and restore a sense of control. Those looking for support with co-occurring disorders, grief and loss, parenting and career difficulties, codependency, intimacy and relationship issues, or aging and caregiver stress will find experience relevant to these concerns in her background.

Her counseling work began in addiction and recovery in 2007, and she added mental health therapy in 2017. She holds LPC and LMHC credentials - Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Mental Health Counselor - and is licensed to practice in Colorado and Washington State.

Client-Centered and CBT Approaches for Online Care

Client-centered therapy emphasizes understanding the person in their own terms. It offers an empathic, nonjudgmental space where the licensed professional follows the client's lead, reflects their experience, and helps them access their own resources for change. This approach can be especially helpful for relationship concerns, self-esteem struggles, and adjusting to life changes.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a structured method that helps identify and shift unhelpful thoughts and behaviors. It teaches concrete skills for managing anxiety, depression, sleep challenges, and patterns related to addiction or trauma, with practical exercises that clients can apply between sessions.

Finding the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will work together with each person to determine which methods best match their goals, needs, and preferences, and may integrate techniques over time to support progress.

Online therapy provides flexible ways to connect through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy schedules, access support from home, and maintain continuity of care during life transitions, while still working with a licensed therapist who uses evidence-informed approaches.