Valarie Johnson is a Washington-based licensed clinical social worker with 30 years of clinical experience. She has practiced in a variety of settings and spent 15 years working with expatriate and indigenous communities overseas.

She works with a wide range of concerns, including anxiety, depression, stress management, trauma and abuse, family-of-origin issues, grief and life transitions, cross-cultural adjustment, addictions, relationship and parenting challenges, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and compassion fatigue.

Her counseling style is generally experienced as kind but direct – she supports clients in making their own life choices while also challenging them to move forward. Valarie values witnessing personal growth and participating in the nurturing of that process. Her approach integrates cognitive-behavioral strategies, solution-oriented methods, and psychodynamic theory, and she adapts the combination of modalities to what will best help each person reach their goals. She can provide Christian-based counseling when that is helpful and will respect clients’ backgrounds and preferences.

Valarie holds clinical social work licensure in Washington (LICSW, license number LW60886686). She notes that a reliable internet connection improves the online session experience and that using an up-to-date browser can help; older laptops or weak connectivity can reduce functionality, though some people find better connection on a phone and most scheduling or connection issues can be worked through. She looks forward to meeting clients and coming alongside them on their journey of growth and wellness.