Valerie Barela

Valerie Barela, MA, LPC, LCDC, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor who builds therapeutic relationships to address isolation, overwhelm, and hopelessness.

She uses Relational Cultural Therapy and integrates cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), drawing on trauma-treatment concepts from Bessel Van Der Kolk and Peter Levine.

She works with clients ages 5 to 65 and treats mood disorders, anxiety, trauma, substance use/addiction recovery, self-harm prevention, suicide intervention, relationship issues, and identity exploration. She earned a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Colorado Denver and is a cisfemale Mexican American from El Paso; she ensures clients have an active role in directing their therapeutic work.