My name is Val Warne.  I live in Northern Michigan, am married and have 2 grown daughters.  I love the outdoors, nature and the slower pace of life this area offers. I have been a therapist for over 30 years and have worked in both the public and private sector.  I spent 10 years working with teens transitioning from high school to college, trade school or the work force and 18 years with the VA where I worked with disabled veterans transitioning back to civilian life and employment.  I also worked for several years in a private, out patient, rehabilitation facility that focused on closed head injury. I have had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of populations over the years and have developed a broad and diverse range of skill sets as a result.  I am vested and committed to helping you in your journey to healing.

Anxiety can be very scary and unsettling.  I will work with you to learn different techniques that will help you reframe your thoughts and bring them back to present which will allow you to look at things more calmly, objectively and take back control over the situation. 

I know that seeking therapy can be very intimidating and scary.  I also know that you would not be considering it if you did not want to heal.    Therapy provides a safe environment for you to vent, share, and talk about anything you wish and is solely about you.  Nothing will ever be forced on you and there is no judgement.  The goal is to help you get on the best and healthiest path possible.

My focus with trauma and PTSD is to help you regain a sense of control in your life.  You will learn to identify triggers that make you feel unsafe and I will then work to help you: Learn skills to manage your symptoms; Reframe how you look at your self and others; Develop coping tools that can be used to reduce your fear and/or anxiety, in the moment, when feeling unsafe, threatened or fearful.   

Therapy sessions are 55 minutes and the frequency of sessions will be based on your specific needs and goals.   Our initial session will be focused on a comprehensive review of your medical, family and social history to give me a better understanding of how I can best help you. We will work together to develop goals and a plan for how best to make positive change moving forward. Therapy is about you.  My goal is to create a safe, non-judgmental space for you to openly share whatever is bringing you to take this step so that we can actively work together to address these issues and get you to a better place.

Stress is often the result of feeling overwhelmed or out of control.  In order to reduce these feelings I will work with you to identify the cause and steps that can be taken to look at and approach things in a more manageable way, so you can regain control over the situation and take positive steps forward.

Whether you are trying to choose your first career, looking to change careers or simply need some accommodations to allow you to continue on your current path, career counseling is able to help in this process.   Career counseling focuses on identifying your interests, strengths and abilities.  It may involve some interest testing, review of high school/college transcripts, work history as well as other factors.  For those who may have any disabilities (mental health, cognitive or physical) it will also take in to consideration any functional impact these conditions may have to ensure that the career is a suitable fit and will not aggravate or worsen the effects of these conditions.