Hi! I am Valerie and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and the Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Move Forward Counseling.  I have almost 20 years of experience as a therapist, supervisor and manager of programs in community mental health and substance abuse treatment programs.  I approach therapy from strengths-based perspective and use a variety of interventions from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI).  

I enjoy working with a diverse group of people who are struggling with mental health issues, recovering from addictions or struggling with specific life stressors.  I strongly believe that people heal in different ways and that therapy can be means to finding your way.  

I am originally from Schenectady, NY and moved to Pennsylvania in 2013.  I received my undergraduate degree at Syracuse University and my graduate degree from the State University of New York.  When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, including my 2 dogs, Hugo and Addie.