Valerie LaPorte, LICSW - Therapist in Minnesota

Attachment-based methods
CBT and DBT skills
Goal-directed plans

About Valerie

Valerie LaPorte is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) in Minnesota with 21 years of professional experience. She has worked across many settings and with people facing a wide range of struggles, including stress, anxiety, trauma, grief, depression, addiction, parenting concerns, and anger. Valerie also serves as a Minnesota Board of Social Work approved clinical and non-clinical licensing supervisor.

Valerie spends most of her career working with individuals who have serious mental illness, and she has experience across the lifespan. She has worked with people dealing with physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, incarceration, disability-related concerns, adoption and foster care issues, and caregiver stress. Her background includes both clinical care and supervisory roles.

Her style is client-centered and goal-directed. She emphasizes approachability, focused listening, and practical problem solving. Sessions involve clear goals and steps to address the immediate problems people bring, such as sleep disruption, relationship strain, or anger that affects daily life.

She blends several therapy methods to match the work at hand. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is used for thinking and behavior patterns. Attachment-Based approaches look at how early relationships shape current struggles. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Mindfulness techniques offer skills for managing intense feelings and stress.

Valerie works with concerns like parenting stress, intimacy-related issues, bipolar disorder, ADHD, and compassion fatigue. She helps people identify strengths, set achievable goals, and practice concrete skills between sessions.

How Valerie’s approaches translate to online work

Valerie often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thought and behavior patterns and to practice new skills. CBT helps people change reactions that fuel anger, anxiety, or low mood by breaking problems into manageable steps.

She also uses Attachment-Based Therapy to look at how early relationships can affect current reactions and closeness. That work helps when anger or trust issues are tied to past losses or unstable caregiving. Dialectical Behavior Therapy offers concrete skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and better interpersonal communication, which can reduce frequent outbursts and simmering resentment.

Choosing the right approach is a collaborative process. The therapist will talk with each person about goals, preferences, and the day-to-day problems they want to change. Together they decide which tools to try first and adjust the plan as needed based on what actually helps.

The original biography does not list specific online session formats. Confirm the current session options before booking so you know how sessions will be scheduled. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy schedule, allow shorter check-ins when time is tight, or remove travel time so people can focus on practicing skills between meetings.

Areas of expertise

Primary focus

Stress, Anxiety Trauma and abuse Grief Depression Coping with life changes

Also works with

AddictionsRelationship issuesFamily conflictsIntimacy-related issuesSleeping disordersParenting issuesAnger managementSelf esteemBipolar disorderCompassion fatigue ADHD

Additional focus areas

AbandonmentAdoption and foster careAging and geriatric issuesAntisocial personalityAttachment issuesBlended family issuesBody imageCaregiver issues and stressCo-morbidityCodependencyCommitment issuesCommunication problems Control issuesCoping with natural or human-caused disasterDependent personalityDivorce and separation Domestic violenceEmptinessFamily of origin issuesFamily problemsFertility issuesFirst responder issues Forgiveness Guilt and shame Impulsivity InfidelityIntellectual disabilityIsolation / loneliness JealousyLife purposeMidlife crisis Money and financial issues Mood disordersPanic disorder and panic attacksPersonality disordersPolyamory / non-monogamous relationshipsPost-traumatic stressPregnancy and childbirthSeasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)Self-loveSexual assault and abuseSexualitySocial anxiety and phobiaTraumatic brain injuryWomen's issuesWorkplace issues Young adult issues

Therapeutic approaches

Attachment-Based TherapyClient-Centered TherapyCognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)Mindfulness TherapyMotivational InterviewingSolution-Focused TherapyTrauma-Focused Therapy

Experience

21+ years

Listed in

Minnesota

Languages

English

Frequently asked questions

What kinds of issues does she address?

She works with stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, addictions, relationship and family issues, anger, sleep problems, parenting concerns, and related areas.

What is her approach in sessions?

Her style is client-centered and goal-directed with focused listening and practical problem solving. She combines approaches such as CBT, DBT, and attachment-based work depending on the issue.

How much experience does she have?

She has 21 years of professional experience and a long history of working with individuals who have serious mental illness.

What are her credentials and where is she based?

She is a LICSW - Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker - licensed in Minnesota and practices in that state.

Which languages are offered and are international clients accepted?

Sessions are offered in English, and she accepts international clients.

What session formats are available?

The biography does not list specific session formats. Please confirm current session options before booking.

How are fees handled?

Cost varies with location and sessions use a subscription that can be canceled at any time.

How do I begin working with her?

Select the See online therapy options button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.