Valerie Johnson-Cardoso, LMHC
Calm, practical counseling for life’s difficult moments
Book with ValerieWorks with
- Anger
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Depression
How Valerie works
Practical facts
- Credentials
- LMHC
- Licensed in
- Florida
- Years in practice
- 30
- Languages
- English
- Session format
- Online, through our partner platform
About Valerie
Valerie Johnson-Cardoso is a licensed mental health counselor with 30 years of experience. She offers calm, practical help for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anger, anxiety, depression, or life changes. Valerie explains things simply and focuses on what can change now to make daily life easier.
She spent many years working in residential mental health and substance abuse settings in Florida and Pennsylvania. Valerie also taught for 16 years, supporting students with learning differences, autism, and emotional challenges.
Background and approach
While teaching she ran a independent practice evenings and weekends and worked with people across the lifespan in homes and day treatment settings. Valerie uses a mix of approaches to match each person’s needs rather than a single method.
She draws on cognitive behavioral work to identify unhelpful thinking, acceptance and commitment ideas to clarify values and action, and client-centered listening to help people feel heard. Dialectical and emotionally-focused techniques are available when the situation calls for them. Her uncomplicated style emphasizes teamwork.
She helps people notice patterns, try small changes, and practice new responses to stress and anger. Valerie often focuses on managing internal self-criticism and building ways to respond with more self-compassion. People who come for help with addictions, grief, parenting strain, intimacy concerns, attention differences, or trauma will find a practitioner who values steady progress.
She welcomes conversations about faith transition and religious trauma, and she supports people exploring identity and relationships. Valerie aims to build trust and a safe space to express feelings without judgment.
What Valerie works with
Everything Valerie lists, in the therapist's own terms. Anger is the reason this directory exists; the rest tells you what usually sits alongside it in Valerie's practice.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Depression
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coping with life changes
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Antisocial personality
- Attachment issues
- Autism and Asperger Syndrome
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Cancer
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Dependent personality
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Fatherhood issues
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Intellectual disability
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sex addiction
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Valerie lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Existential Therapy
- Hypnotherapy
- Imago Relationship Therapy
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Narrative Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
Online approaches that focus on action and feeling
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small steps toward those values while accepting uncomfortable feelings. It can be useful for stress, anger, avoidance, and life transitions.Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches practical skills to change them. It is often used for anxiety, depression, anger, and habit patterns.
Client-Centered Therapy gives people a respectful space to talk and feel understood while they choose their next steps. This approach supports self-awareness and better emotional regulation.
Valerie treats finding the right approach as a collaborative process. She will work with each person to decide which methods fit best based on goals, how they respond in sessions, and their day-to-day needs. Adjustments are normal as therapy progresses and new priorities emerge.
Online sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit busy lives. Video works well for deeper conversations and practicing new skills. Phone sessions take less bandwidth and can be easier on the schedule. Live chat and messaging let people check in, get short supports between sessions, or use writing if that feels more comfortable. These options aim to make getting help more flexible and easier to fit into daily life.
Questions people ask about Valerie
What concerns does Valerie help with?
She helps people facing stress, anger, anxiety, depression, addictions, grief, trauma, parenting strain, intimacy issues, self-esteem struggles, career stress, ADHD, and related concerns.
What is her approach in sessions?
Sessions combine clear, practical techniques with empathic listening. She uses methods like cognitive behavioral work, acceptance and commitment ideas, and client-centered listening to fit each person.
How much experience does she have?
Valerie has practiced as a mental health counselor for 30 years, including work in residential mental health, substance abuse programs, schools, and independent practice.
What credentials and region are noted?
She is a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor - LMHC - and has worked in Florida and Pennsylvania.
Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English, and she accepts international clients.
What session formats are available?
Therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to suit different needs and schedules.
How does billing and cost work?
Cost varies with location and therapist scheduling; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working together?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.