Valarie L. Somerville Harris, LPC-MHSP-S, NCC

Founder | Clinical Director | Clinical Supervisor

Professional Memberships

• (ACES) Association for Counselor Education and Supervision

• (ISSTD) International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation

• (ISTSS) International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies

• (IATP) International Association of Trauma Professionals

• American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress

• (TCA) Tennessee Counseling Association

• (SPIPA) Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute Professional Organization

Biography:

If you’re looking for a therapist who is candid, deeply compassionate, and unafraid of complexity, you’ll want to meet Valarie. She brings a rare blend of clinical depth, strategic thinking, and real-world experience to every space she enters, whether she’s working directly with clients, mentoring clinicians, or leading systems-level change in the mental health industry.

Valarie is passionate about helping individuals, couples, teens, and families break free from patterns that no longer serve them and build lives rooted in connection, capacity, and meaning. She believes healing begins when people feel safe enough to be honest with themselves and with others, and when their stories are understood in context, not judged in isolation.

Her clinical work centers on people navigating trauma, relational wounds, identity shifts, and chronic overwhelm. Many of the clients Valarie works with are outwardly capable and high-functioning, yet internally exhausted, tired of carrying everything alone, stuck in survival mode, or unsure how they lost themselves along the way. She also works extensively with couples and families who want more than surface-level communication tools and are ready to build real safety, trust, and repair.

In the therapy room, Valarie helps clients understand how past experiences—especially trauma and attachment disruptions—shape present-day patterns in the brain, body, and relationships. Her approach is practical, relational, and trauma-informed, blending neuroscience, systems theory, and evidence-based modalities with warmth, humor, and directness. Clients often describe her as grounding, honest, and deeply attuned—someone who can hold both truth and compassion without sacrificing either.

Working with Valarie is a collaborative and transformative experience. Her goal is to walk alongside clients as they reconnect with parts of themselves that may have been silenced, minimized, or stretched too thin—and help them move toward lives that feel steadier, more aligned, and more fully their own. Healing, in her view, isn’t about fixing what’s “wrong,” but about restoring capacity, choice, and connection.

Who Valarie Works With

Valarie works with individuals and systems navigating complexity, including:

• Adults experiencing trauma, burnout, or chronic emotional overload

• Couples seeking deeper safety, repair, and secure connection

• Teens and parents struggling to communicate without conflict or disconnection

• Clinicians and leaders seeking trauma-informed supervision, mentorship, or consultation

Before founding Trauma & Therapy Center of Tennessee, Valarie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Austin Peay State University and her Master’s in Professional Counseling from Argosy University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Mental Health Service Provider in Tennessee, as well as a National Certified Counselor.

Beyond direct clinical work, Valarie serves as the Founder and Clinical Director of TTCT, where she leads a trauma-informed teaching practice built on mentorship, collaboration, and high standards of care. She also provides clinical supervision, consulting, and training—both locally and nationally—focused on developing trauma-competent clinicians and sustainable, people-centered group practices.

Valarie is the best-selling author of The Capacity Codeᵀᴹ, an innovative capacity-building framework that blends neuroscience, storytelling, and strategy to help individuals, leaders, educators, and organizations thrive. Her work challenges outdated self-care narratives and introduces a sustainable model for energy, resilience, and sustainable success. Her international speaking includes presenting on trauma-sensitive interviewing at the University of Oxford through the Global Women’s Narrative Project—part of the War & Peace Series focused on peacebuilding, memory, and trauma-informed ethics in fieldwork. She also created Educate & Elevateᵀᴹ, a gold-standard intern development model that turns group practices into thriving, purpose-driven, people-first teaching communities that train and retain clinicians from practicum to legacy.

While Valarie’s work extends into education, consulting, and authorship, her role at TTCT remains deeply relational and hands-on. She is committed to ensuring that clients receive exceptional care, that clinicians are supported rather than burned out, and that the next generation of therapists is trained with integrity and intention.

Outside of the Therapy Room

Outside the therapy room, Valarie is curious, adventurous, and quietly nerdy. She loves hiking, traveling, and exploring new places—including solo travel as far as Scotland. She’s both creatively driven and data-oriented, equally at home behind a camera or inside a spreadsheet analyzing systems, outcomes, and growth.

Valarie is a nationally published photographer with a particular love for seniors and sports photography. She once held a musical theater scholarship and dreamed of Broadway—a reminder that creativity and expression have always been part of her story. She’s also a proud mom to an Airman and sister to a Marine, experiences that continue to shape her respect for service, leadership, and resilience.

Personality-wise, Valarie is an ENFP (The Idealist Champion), an Enneagram 8w7 (The Mover & Shaker), and scores exceptionally high on initiative and influence (she scored a 99/100 as an “I” on the DISC. Clients and clinicians alike experience her as warm, direct, visionary, and deeply invested in meaningful change.