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

Founder & Clinical Director

 

“You’re not broken and you don’t need to be fixed. We are all the sum of our experiences and sometimes that leaves us wounded and stuck in patterns that no longer serve us. Therapy provides a healing space to raise awareness, recover from hurt, reconnect to yourself, reclaim what was lost, and repair relationships. Your story matters and deserves to be honored in a meaningful way”

 

Specialties:

Complex Trauma | Challenging Therapy Cases | Attachment Issues | Chronic Relapse | Psychodynamic Therapy | Relationship Issues (Infidelity) | Dissociative Disorders | Impaired Professionals | Trauma-Informed Hypnotherapy | Adoption Related Issues | Parent-Teen Conflict | Military Related Issues | S.A.F.E. EMDR Therapy | LENS Neurofeedback |

Services Offered:

Clinical Supervision | Private/Group Practice Coaching | Clinical Consulting (Dissociative Disorders/Complex Trauma) | Speaking Engagements |

Primary Populations:

Adults with Complex Trauma Histories | Teens/Young Adults with a History of Complex Trauma | All Ages affected by Acute, Sudden, or Recent Trauma (ages 3 and up) | Professionals, Entrepreneurs, & Business Owners |

Advanced Training:

Couple’s Therapy for Treating Trauma: The Gottman Method Approach; The Science of Trust and Betrayal with John Gottman, Ph.D., The 10 Principles of Effective Couples Therapy (Gottman), Level 1 Clinical Training Gottman Couple’s Therapy, Level 1 (EMDRIA Approved) S.A.F.E. EMDR Therapy, Level 1 and 2 Trauma-Informed Hypnosis, Level 1 and Level 2 LENS (Low Energy Neurofeedback System), Relapse Prevention Therapy (for Advanced Certification), Psychodrama/Experiential Therapy, Level 1 Sensorimotor Psychotherapy [for Trauma Themes], Internal Family Systems, and Extensive Trauma Trainings.

Current Training:

  • NBCC Approved Clinical Supervisor [45 hour National Certification] [Expected Completion June 2024]

  • Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional Training: Evidenced-Based Protocol

    for Compassion Fatigue Prevention and Professional Resiliency -In Process

    [Expected September 2024]

  • Amen Clinic Brain Health Professional Certification Course [50 hour course] [Expected Completion November 2024]

Prior Experience:

  • Magellan Health (contracted with the Dept. of Defense), Military Family Life Counselor, Child and Youth Behavioral (MFLC-CYB)

  • Skyline Madison Campus, Multi-Unit Therapist (covered any of 7 units ranging in focus with most time spent on the Adolescent and Military Units)

  • University of Phoenix, Adjunct Professor (Dept. of Psychology)

  • Cumberland Heights, Women’s Relapse Prevention Counselor

  • Cumberland Heights, Case Manager/Float Counselor with the Traditional Adult Program

  • Cumberland Heights, Admissions Counselor

  • Cumberland Heights, Clinical Associate with the Adolescent Program

  • Cumberland Heights, Graduate Intern with the Adolescent Program

Current Projects:

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:

Valarie graduated in 2005 from Austin Peay State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work. She went on to obtain her Master’s in Professional Counseling in 2007 from Argosy University-Atlanta/Nashville. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Mental Health Service Provider (MHSP) in the state of Tennessee (License #2412). Additionally, she obtained endorsement as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) thru the National Board of Certified Counselors (Certification #646918).

Valarie is passionate about promoting healing for those who have a history of trauma. She has a unique way of helping mental health providers, clients, and the public understand trauma and the way it affects the brain and body.  She is practical and straightforward in her approach utilizing humor, compassion, and authenticity to ensure that her audience feels connected, understood, and heard! She has over a decade of experience counseling a variety of populations and isn’t afraid of a challenge. In fact, she frequently gravitates towards working with complexity and sees herself and her staff as “Specialists” in the world of therapy rather than as “Generalists”.  She is an advocate at her core and actively seeks opportunities to be of service through writing and guest appearances for the purpose of educating the general public and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness and psychological disorders such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). She has offered articles on trauma-informed care with adolescents to specialized divisions of the American Counseling Association. She has been seen in Insider, Inc., VeryWell Mind, and SheKnows. She has also been featured on a variety of podcasts such as Practice of the Practice (The #1 Podcast for counselors in private practice), Brain Unblocked (The Brainspotting Podcast), Shrink Think Podcast, and Burn The Ship Podcast to name a few.

Currently, Valarie serves as the Clinical Director for her group practice. She is committed to building the premier trauma-informed, trauma-competent group therapy practice in Clarksville. She has expanded her services and now offers clinical supervision, clinical consulting, and training on building teaching practices and trauma-competent clinicians. Valarie hopes to utilize her training and experience to equip the next generation of trauma therapists to ensure that the people of Clarksville (and the surrounding areas of Middle Tennessee) will have access to quality, trauma-competent care built on strong therapeutic relationships, individualized care, and evidence-based trauma-focused treatment modalities. She utilizes her skills to promote trauma-competent initiatives in non-therapeutic spaces to lower the risks of re-traumatization for trauma survivors and lower the risks of secondary trauma for those working with and encountering them.

Fun Facts: Valarie loves photography and has been nationally published twice for her senior photography! Second to seniors is her love for sports photography (football and lacrosse). She’s also the proud mother of an Airman and sister to a Marine! Valarie once had a scholarship to APSU for musical theater and dreamed of being on Broadway. She’s a huge fan of all things beachy, big cities, business, and traveling! Her Enneagram is 8w7 (Tritype is 837, aka “The Mover & Shaker”), and her Myers-Briggs Type is an ENFP (The Idealist Champion).