Practitioner record · Checked 5 Nov 2026
Valerie Engel has been in practice 18 years and is licensed in Colorado. Valerie lists addictions, sleeping disorders and self esteem among 45 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.
Everything below is either quoted from Valerie's own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.
01 · Who Valerie works with
Valerie lists 10 specialisms and 35 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Valerie chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.
02 · In Valerie's own words
Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.
My focus as your therapist is to listen deeply, and remind you of your strengths and inner wisdom. I can assist you with creating strategies, skill building to move through the challenges you are experiencing, to improve relationships, improve communication skills, challenge negative thinking patterns. I provide a safe place to talk about what is troubling you. I use a variety of therapeutic methods that include: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), assessment of work and life balance, and mindfulness techniques. I am certified in HeartMath® for stress management, and Trauma Sensitive HeartMath®, helping clients reduce stress symptoms to regain their sense of control and self-mastery. My counseling background started with addiction and recovery counseling in 2007, and in 2017 added mental health therapy. My work experience includes co-occurring disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, parenting issues, career difficulties, adapting to life changes, codependency, divorce and separation, family of origin issues, family problems, forgiveness, isolation/loneliness, addiction, life purpose, women's issues, aging, sleep challenges and work/life balance.
I am licensed in Colorado and Washington State
Valerie Engel, on the BetterHelp listing · read 5 Nov 2026
03 · How Valerie works
These are the clinical methods Valerie lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Valerie's - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Valerie runs a session.
04 · What happens next
Valerie practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Valerie's own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.
BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Valerie at this point.
BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Valerie is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Valerie.
You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.
A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.
Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.
05 · Before you commit
Built from what Valerie actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Valerie's - Valerie has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.
“You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Client-Centred Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”
Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.
“How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”
Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.
“With 18 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”
Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.
“How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”
On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.
06 · Practical details
07 · Provenance
Valerie's name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 5 Nov 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.
The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.
Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Valerie. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.
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