Valerie LaPorte

Valerie LaPorte is a licensed clinical social worker (LICSW) in Minnesota with 21 years of professional experience. She brings a calm, approachable manner and focuses on clear, practical steps for change. Valerie works with people facing anger, anxiety, depression, trauma, and many life stressors. She aims to help clients feel heard and move toward goals they choose.

Valerie’s work is grounded in listening and problem solving. She blends attachment-based ideas with cognitive behavioral strategies and mindfulness. Sessions are led by the client’s needs and emphasize dignity, respect, and compassion. Valerie uses goal-directed work and offers skills people can practice between meetings.

Her background includes long experience supporting people with complex needs, including serious mental illness, grief, addiction, and past abuse. She has worked across the lifespan and with varied life circumstances such as adoption and foster care, caregiving stress, and aging concerns. This range informs a practical, flexible approach to common issues like sleep, relationship strain, parenting stress, and self-esteem.

Valerie also serves as a Minnesota Board of Social Work approved clinical and non-clinical licensing supervisor. That supervisory role complements her direct practice by keeping attention on ethical care and professional development. She aims to help people build lasting coping skills and clearer patterns of communication.

People who choose Valerie can expect straightforward, compassionate work that focuses on what matters most to them. She emphasizes shared decision-making and tailors each plan to the individual’s priorities and life demands.

Approaches that guide online work and decision making

Attachment-based work focuses on how early relationships shape current patterns. It helps people notice how they connect, react, and look for safety with others, which can be useful for anger, intimacy, and attachment issues.

Client-centered therapy puts the person’s experience at the center. The therapist follows the client’s lead, offers empathic listening, and helps people find their own solutions to problems like depression, anxiety, or life transitions.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, teaches practical ways to notice thoughts and change unhelpful patterns. It is often used to manage anxiety, mood problems, and coping with stress by practicing new skills between sessions.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Valerie will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals and preferences. That decision is reviewed over time and adjusted as needed.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm which session formats the therapist currently offers before booking. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when schedules are tight. It can also let people use mindful practices and skill-building exercises from home or other convenient settings. Licensed professionals adapt the pacing and tools so sessions feel practical and focused on daily challenges.