I’m Valerie Fincher, and I’ve spent my career in kids’ corners.

My professional journey began in family counseling in 1996, and for thirty years I’ve been supporting adolescents and the families who love them — through the hard seasons, the stuck places, and the turnarounds.

Since 2010 I’ve been a school counselor in the Douglas County school system — where I’ve also served as department chair — while maintaining a thriving private practice. And I’ve taught at a non-public high school for students with behavioral disabilities. That experience shaped my deep respect for kids who are doing their best with what they have.

That dual role — professional counselor in the therapy room, school counselor in the hallways — is what makes my practice different. I don’t just hear about school from across the desk; I’ve lived it from the inside. I know what a hard Tuesday in seventh grade actually looks like, and how to help families and schools pull in the same direction.

How I work

Warm, practical, and grounded. Sessions are a place to be honest without judgment — and to leave with something you can actually use: a skill, a plan, a different way to have the conversation.

With children and teens, that often means meeting them where they are: talk, play, and plenty of patience. Parents stay in the loop as partners, not spectators.