My Journey
My dedication to providing holistic mental health services began with my journey through debilitating health issues, encountering conventional healthcare providers who had no clue what was causing my health to deteriorate so dramatically, and the sense of helplessness that came with finding health solutions that were financially out of reach for me.
As a psychotherapist, I was healthy, happy, and full of gratitude that I was able to make a living doing a job I enjoyed so much that it never felt like work.
Literally losing my mind
After moving into a new office building in 2002, I started experiencing joint pain, which became chronic over time. By 2004, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease. Nevertheless, I was able to function reasonably well until 2010, at which point I became severely debilitated with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, IBS, depression, anxiety, and worst of all, acute cognitive impairment, which left me with severely impaired short-term memory and unable to learn new information. The change in my cognitive functioning was not that of simple brain fog; my brain impairment mimicked symptoms of dementia with impaired memory and executive function, as well as significant cognitive confusion.
Over an eight-month period, I went to countless, well-meaning, conventional medical doctors who couldn’t explain my multi-system symptomatology and could only offer me pharmaceuticals to treat the myriad of symptoms I was experiencing. I took three months off work thinking my situation must be the result of professional burn-out, but the time away from work did not prove helpful. When I returned to work, my symptoms worsened, and my health continued to deteriorate. I finally got an appointment to see a renowned environmental medicine specialist, who diagnosed my condition as “toxic mold syndrome.” Unable to afford the costly 3-week day-treatment detoxification program they offered at the Center for Environmental Medicine, I was left to figure out how to resolve the severe health crisis on my own.
Shortly after this diagnosis, the cleaning staff in the building where I had been working for eight years, discovered that hidden inside a storage closet was an entire wall covered with black mold. The airborne mold spores made their way into the HVAC duct system and were being disseminated throughout the building.
“I was left to try to figure out how to resolve this severe health crisis on my own.”
I am very passionate about Functional Medicine
While I was observing my mother’s brain deteriorate from dementia, I recognized that I was experiencing the same symptoms. I traveled across the country to do a 2-day battery of neuropsych testing with a neuropsychologist who specialized in biotoxin illness. When I read the report of findings, I was devastated! Her report described me as “disabled” and reported there was a marked deficit in the functioning of the right parietal lobe of my brain. This was depressing to say the least, but it was no surprise to me given how dramatically my cognitive functioning had deteriorated from my baseline functioning. After an initial emotional meltdown, I decided I wasn’t going to have my husband and children watch my brain deteriorate the way I watched my mother’s brain function decline over 25 years. I was determined to do what it took to recover from this brain injury.
While researching how to resolve my health issues on the internet, I encountered The Institute of Integrative Nutrition® (IIN) and enrolled hoping it would unlock the secret to restoring my health. Through my education at IIN®, I was introduced to the world of functional medicine and immersed myself in functional medicine education. I needed help and guidance from a functional medicine practitioner, but since none of them accepted insurance, and I couldn't afford to pay the astronomical fees they were charging, I concluded that functional medicine was only an option for wealthy people. Since I couldn’t afford to pay a functional medicine practitioner, I decided to learn how to apply the principles of functional medicine to heal myself by attending the Institute of Functional Medicine® (IFM) conferences. After day one of the first conference I attended, I knew there was hope for recovery.
I love that the goal of functional medicine is to get to the root cause underlying symptoms rather than treating symptoms with pharmaceuticals, accompanied by side effects for which additional medication would be prescribed. While my symptoms may have been relieved to some degree by medication, relief was short-lived and the drugs were not going to resolve the underlying problem. The pharmaceuticals produced more unpleasant symptoms while increasing the toxic burden on my liver. I learned about phase one and two detoxification and began a series of detox protocols to rid my body of the toxic mold. Additionally, I made diet and lifestyle changes to nurture my body and brain.
Studying and implementing the functional medicine principals in my own life enabled me to recover from my illness. I am, therefore, an enthusiastic proponent of functional medicine, and my enthusiasm and respect for the practice of functional medicine exploded so much so that I have felt compelled to share what I’ve learned with others so they might benefit from this information.
Thanks to IFM®, I learned how to detoxify my body from the neurotoxic mold that had colonized in my body and brain.
“Neurons that fire together wire together.”
the concept of neuroplasticity
The year prior to my debilitating illness, I had the privilege of hearing Dr. Norman Doidge speak on the concept of neuroplasticity at an Integrative Medicine for Mental Health conference. I was fascinated by, what was at the time a newly discovered science of neuroplasticity. I read Dr. Doidge’s book, The Brain That Changes Itself, to learn more about neurogenesis. Because I had some familiarity with this science, I knew that my brain had the potential to build new neural connections to compensate for the damage my frontal lobe sustained as a result of the neurotoxic mold. Armed with this knowledge, I developed a brain recovery program for myself based on the science of neuroplasticity and functional neurology. I was relentless in my pursuit to restore my cognitive function and challenged my brain to develop new neural connections almost daily for three years. This program included challenging my brain to learn novel information, daily brain game exercises, meditation, and high-intensity interval training to stimulate my neurogenesis. I ate an anti-inflammatory diet high in medium chain fatty acids to nourish the myelin sheath that protected my neurons and practiced intermittent fasting as well as using targeted amino acid supplementation to support my brain health. Thanks to the teachings of Dr. Norman Doidge and Dr. Datis Kharrazian, I was able to recover my brain function.
My multimodal approach to recovery
My recovery was multifaceted and incorporated energy medicine modalities including acupuncture, yoga, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Emotional Polarity Technique (EPT), which was very healing for me spiritually. My healing journey took far longer than it might have if I'd been able to afford to work with a functional medicine practitioner. If I had utilized functional lab testing from the start, I wouldn’t have wasted eight months to find out my body and brain were incapacitated by neurotoxic mold. Testing would have also eliminated the guesswork in my treatment plan, allowing me to recover in a fraction of the time instead of the seven years it took me to begin feeling like myself again.
When I realized the value of functional Lab testing, I enrolled in the Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® program, which taught me to understand and interpret functional lab tests and restore health through diet and lifestyle changes. I believe everyone should have access to the functional approach to health, but most people don’t turn to functional medicine until they have exhausted the conventional medicine route with little to no resolution of their symptoms. It is unfortunate that insurance companies will not cover functional lab testing and health coaching, because this approach saves them money in the long-run. Once clients learn health promoting strategies, they use them for the rest of their lives, which means less payout for the insurance companies.
I’m happy to support you through your wellness journey.
If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, I understand because I’ve been there! It brings me great joy to share what I’ve learned, offer help to those who are suffering, and be able to accompany others on their journey to optimal health and happiness.
My Therapeutic Approach
a trusting and supportive relationship
The therapeutic relationship is critical and will influence your success in therapy. I am the first to tell you that if you feel like you aren’t resonating with the therapist in the first two or three visits, keep looking until you find someone who is a good fit for you. I might not be the therapist for you, and that is okay. I want you to have a positive experience in therapy regardless of who you choose as a therapist. The degree of success you have in therapy is gong to be commensurate with your level of motivation to do the therapeutic work and the quality of the therapeutic alliance. The job of the therapist is to create a safe, non-judgmental environment for you to share your inner-most secrets without fear of judgement. You must be able to feel absolutely safe and secure when working through difficult emotional content.
You’ll learn that I am a warm, non-judgmental, compassionate, caring professional who takes my role as therapist and coach very seriously. At our first session, I will begin gathering information about your life and history as part of a psychosocial assessment, which is an examination of your psychological health and how it is influenced by your social environment. It is impossible for me to learn everything I need to know in a single session, so I will continue gathering information as we work together. All the information you provide in the early stages of therapy provides the outline of the jigsaw puzzle of your life. Our work together involves filling in the prices of the jigsaw so when you get all the pieces put together, you will be able to see the entire picture of your life. You start to see connections you never understood before, and suddenly everything makes sense! This self exploration is an enjoyable process and you will develop a keen sense of self-awareness from this process that will serve you well as you move forward with your life.
I will analyze the information you provide about yourself and your mental and physical health challenges to develop a comprehensive plan based on your therapeutic goals. This plan will include recommendations for calming your autonomic nervous system when it is over-active, stimulating it when it is under-active, as well as for exercise, rest/sleep, stress reduction and nutrition that will support achievement of your therapeutic goals.
You are one-of-a-kind and deserve a unique, personalized treatment plan
In my mind, we are all one-of-a-kind – genetically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Because each person is unique, I don’t believe that a single approach works for everyone, which is why my strategy will be tailored to your particular circumstances. I have a deep respect for my clients’ individuality and would love to know as much about you as you feel comfortable sharing with me. The more I learn about your history of experiences, the better I will be able to understand your view of the world. Understanding this will help me to formulate a treatment plan and the therapeutic approach best suited to help you achieve your therapeutic goals.
The gut-brain connection
Mood and anxiety can be influenced by the health of your microbiome. That’s right! The bacteria in your gut can influence your neurotransmitters, your hunger hormones, your metabolism, and your ability to focus and attend to information. The foods you consume will influence the health of your microbiome, and this is why understanding nutrition and your nutritional deficiencies is critical to mental health and well-being. If you think you are going to have to live with symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) for the rest of your life, I have good news for you. If we can discover the underlying cause of these symptoms, you may be able resolve this issue once and for all. The Functional Diagnostic Nutrition® mantra is “Test - Don’t guess!” Since recovery from my own health crisis took years longer than it would have if I'd had the benefit of functional lab testing, I firmly believe that testing can aide in and accelerate your recovery process. Don’t underestimate the value of these tests, because test results give valuable insights into what is going on internally and provide a platform from which to launch an effective recovery plan.
While I am licensed to practice psychotherapy, I am not a licensed medical practitioner and am, therefore, not trained to prescribe pharmaceuticals or provide medical advice. I believe it is in your best interest for the members of your health care team to have a collaborative relationship. With your consent, I will collaborate with your physician to develop a wellness plan that addresses your health concerns and maximizes your ability to achieve your health goals. It is your decision to involve your health care practitioner in this process.
I am invested in helping you achieve optimal health and happiness!
I am invested in your success and will be your guide and cheerleader along the way. The degree of success you achieve will ultimately depend on your commitment to yourself and your program. I educate and empower my clients, so they have the knowledge, confidence, and tools to maintain excellent health for the rest of their lives. It brings me great joy to partner with you in your efforts to achieve optimal health and happiness. When you arrive at the finish line, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised that you feel better than you ever dreamed possible.
MORE ABOUT VAL
val’s professional bio
As a young woman, Val began studying nutrition when she worked in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and fitness instructor. While earning a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology at San Jose State University, she continued her studies in nutrition. After receiving a Master’s degree in Social Work with a mental health concentration from East Carolina University, she was licensed as a clinical social worker to practice psychotherapy.
For 13 years, Val was thrilled to be doing a job she loved before a health crisis left her unable to work. After consulting numerous conventional medical specialists who had no idea what was wrong with her or how to resolve her health issues, she spent the next seven years studying nutrition and functional medicine, neuroscience, and functional neurology to figure out how to recover from a debilitating biotoxin illness. In the process, she earned Holistic Health Coach certification through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition®, studied Energy Medicine, and became certified to practice Emotional Polarity Technique and Reiki as well as to teach yoga.
Val has been delighted to study with the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM), which provided her with the knowledge she needed to recover from her illness. Because Val’s experience with Functional Medicine has been life-changing, her passion for sharing what she’s learned with those who are struggling with health issues runs deep. Val’s IFM studies ignited her desire to start a mind-body health practice, so she pursued a certification in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition®, which provided functional lab training and qualified her to order functional lab tests. As a lifetime student, Val continues to study Integrative Medicine for Mental Health, because she believes most mental health issues can be dramatically improved, if not entirely resolved through lifestyle and dietary changes. Functional Neurology is another area of study Val is currently pursuing through the Kharrizian Institute. Since her own illness involved a significant brain injury, she has enjoyed studying neuroscience and wants to help others dealing with brain deterioration to recover their cognitive function through the science of neuroplasticity.
It brings Val great joy to be offering services to help others restore health and happiness to their lives.
if you are ready, I can help you achieve health and happiness!
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