Getting to know Valerie Joyal

I have more than 10 years of experience in the field using a multitude of different clinical approaches to help people develop the skills and confidence they need to build the lives they want to live. I’ve had the chance to meet some amazing people and helped them through treatment that’s been tailored to their individual strengths.

I’m certified in progressive counting, an emerging treatment for trauma, and I’m of the mindset that a good counselor is at the forefront of the field, learning the pioneering methods of therapy as well as being thoroughly informed about the fundamental ones. Things like human development, attachment styles, schemas, effective goal setting, and holistic balance of our strengths and weaknesses are major points of interest for me throughout treating people.

My passion is helping people heal from trauma. No one gets through life unscathed, but my approach to therapy aims to help my clients find a life worth living and build a future worth being in. Our early experiences can shape our world and the beliefs we hold on to from those times can become a barrier to the life we’d like to live. Learning how to challenge those beliefs and finding a new way forward is an important part of the process for me.

What should a new client know about working with you?

My clients can expect to be treated with respect; respect for their experiences, their cultural values, and their choices. It’s my aim to build a strong relationship that you can count on with a counselor who knows you for who you are. There’s a gentleness to my approach that I think surprises some of my clients: I want empathy and encouragement to be a source of motivation that you will be able to rely on during the dark spots of your life. Together, we will develop an alliance and I will coach you on the skills you’ll need to confront that darkness. It’s my hope that your sense of pride will grow as you overcome the challenges you face. Pride in self-worth, being able to gain control over relationships that have distressed you, or having a more compassionate inner voice are all things we will work toward.

The ultimate goal to therapy is to feel better, but that can require us to go through some difficult memories together. We may need to review times where you were hurt, sad, or angry and to process those experiences. You don’t have to do that alone and I’ve got a skillset for reliably helping my clients make it past any initial discomfort they may feel when they begin therapy.

What is your typical process for working with clients?

I like for people to be able to grow and heal at their own speed and I recognize that there are specific methods and approaches to meet my clients where they’re at emotionally. That said, we will move at a speed that works best for you.

I try to end my sessions with a review of what’s working, how we can address what’s not, and if there’s more that we could be doing to approach things you feel are being left behind.

Therapy starts with someone being brave enough to essentially talk to a stranger about the hardest things in their life, but if they can do that, therapy can help them learn how to respond to their emotions in a different way. Emotions motivate us to action, help us to communicate with others and ourselves, and at their core, they help us to get our needs met even if they’re difficult for us to endure or they spark in the wrong situations. Through self-compassion, committing to a life of value, and setting and maintaining appropriate boundaries, my clients can use therapy to give themselves some of the important things they only thought they could get from others.