Valerie Rutherford, LISW
Compassionate, practical support for parenting and stress
Book with Valerie- Years in practice
- 18
- Credentials
- LISW
- Licensed in
- Ohio
- Languages
- English
- Focus
- Stress, Anxiety
- Focus
- Parenting issues
- Focus
- Self esteem
About Valerie
Valerie Rutherford is a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) based in Ohio with 18 years of practice. She focuses on practical support for people feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, depression, parenting challenges, and life transitions. She aims to make therapy straightforward and usable for daily life.
Valerie keeps sessions warm and nonjudgmental so people can say what they need to say. She works collaboratively, listening first and then helping clients set small, achievable goals.
Background and approach
Conversations are focused and practical, with strategies you can try between visits. Her background includes extensive mental health work with adults, adolescents, and children, and experience supporting relationships and family concerns. She draws from several approaches to match interventions to each person’s needs rather than following a single method.
In sessions she uses tools from cognitive behavioral approaches, mindfulness, acceptance strategies, and skills-focused methods to address mood, behavior, and coping. This may include short skills practice, values-based planning, or reframing unhelpful thoughts so they get less in the way of daily life. Valerie offers flexibility in how people connect, including live video, phone, live chat, and text messaging.
That range lets parents and busy adults fit therapy into tight schedules. She guides people toward what feels manageable and realistic for their routines.
What Valerie works with
Everything Valerie lists, in the therapist's own terms. Parenting is the reason this directory exists; the rest shows what else Valerie helps people with.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Parenting issues
- Self esteem
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- Addictions
- LGBT
- Relationship issues
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief
- Intimacy-related issues
- Eating disorders
- Anger management
- Career difficulties
- Bipolar disorder
- Coaching
- Compassion fatigue
- ADHD
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Co-morbidity
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD)
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Paranoia
- Personality disorders
- Phobias
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Smoking / vaping cessation
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Valerie lists
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
Listing an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist names and does not check training records.
How Valerie’s Approaches Translate to Online Care
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying what matters to you and taking small steps toward those values even when emotions are hard. It helps with anxiety, depression, and struggles around parenting choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at thoughts and behaviors that keep problems going and teaches concrete skills to change them, which is useful for mood, anxiety, and stress. Mindfulness Therapy builds moment-to-moment awareness through simple exercises that reduce reactivity and improve emotional regulation.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the work. Valerie will talk with clients about goals, preferences, and daily routines and then choose methods that fit. The process is collaborative, with regular check-ins to see what’s helping and what needs adjusting.
Online sessions can make therapy easier to fit into busy family life. Video calls approximate an in-person conversation, phone sessions work with lower bandwidth and can be easier when you need a quick check-in, live chat lets you send shorter messages during the day, and text-based messaging supports ongoing processing between sessions. Those options help parents and others keep consistency while managing work, childcare, and other responsibilities.
Questions people ask about Valerie
What issues does Valerie commonly address?
She helps people manage stress, anxiety, depression, parenting challenges, relationship and family concerns, grief, trauma, addictions, ADHD, and related issues listed in her specialties.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
The approach is collaborative and client-centered, focusing on listening, setting realistic goals, and teaching practical skills to use between sessions.
What experience does she bring to sessions?
Valerie has 18 years of experience in mental health work, including practice with adults, adolescents, children, and relationship and family matters.
What are her credentials and where is she based?
She is an Ohio Licensed Independent Social Worker with the LISW credential and practices from Ohio.
Which languages are offered for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
What session formats are available?
She offers video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How is cost handled for sessions?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with her?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule according to therapist availability.
More therapists for parents in Ohio
All in Ohio
Dr. Julie McCune
LPCC
Ohio 25 years in practice
Calm practical support for parenting and life stress
- Stress, Anxiety
- LGBT
- Relationship
Stephanie Beebe
LISW, LCSW
Ohio 20 years in practice English, Spanish
Supportive clinician for parenting and stress
- Stress, Anxiety
- Self esteem
- Depression
Bonnie Edwards
LPCC
Ohio 20 years in practice
Practical mindfulness and skills for stressed parents
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Grief