Areas of Focus

Dr. Val provides trauma-informed, developmentally sensitive, and evidence-based care across the lifespan. Treatment and evaluations are individualized according to each person’s needs, strengths, environment, and stage of life—not simply a diagnosis.

Anxiety and Fear-Based Concerns

Support is available for generalized anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety, separation anxiety, selective mutism, school refusal, health anxiety, and specific phobias, including emetophobia. Treatment focuses on understanding anxiety, reducing avoidance, building confidence, and developing practical skills that carry into everyday life.

OCD and Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Dr. Val works with individuals experiencing intrusive thoughts, compulsions, reassurance seeking, avoidance, hair pulling—or trichotillomania—and skin picking, also known as excoriation disorder. Care is compassionate, structured, and grounded in evidence-based behavioral strategies.

ADHD and Executive Functioning

ADHD can affect far more than attention. Dr. Val helps children, adolescents, and adults with organization, planning, task initiation, time management, impulse control, emotional regulation, and the demands of school, work, relationships, and daily life.

Autism and Neurodevelopmental Differences

Care is tailored to each person’s developmental profile, communication style, sensory needs, environment, and individual strengths. Dr. Val supports neurodivergent children and adults while also helping parents and caregivers better understand behavior, strengthen connection, and identify useful accommodations.

Trauma and PTSD

Dr. Val provides trauma-informed treatment for people affected by accidents, abuse, medical experiences, loss, chronic stress, and other overwhelming events. Her goal is to help clients understand that trauma is something that happened to them—not the totality of who they are.

Depression, Grief, and Life Transitions

Support is available for depression, grief, relationship changes, identity development, caregiving, postpartum adjustment, perimenopause and menopause, aging, and other major life transitions. Therapy provides space to process what has changed while building strategies for moving forward.

Parenting, Caregiver, and Family Support

Dr. Val helps parents and caregivers understand what behavior may be communicating, respond more effectively, reduce conflict, and strengthen family relationships. When helpful and appropriate, she collaborates with schools, physicians, speech therapists, and other members of a client’s support system.

Gender-Affirming Care

Philly Psychology provides respectful, affirming care for clients exploring gender, identity, relationships, and life transitions. Each person is met with curiosity, compassion, and respect for their lived experience.

Psychological Evaluations and Second Opinions

Dr. Val provides ADHD psychological evaluations, clinical second opinions, forensic PTSD evaluations, and private-pay disability evaluations. Assessments consider test findings within the context of the whole person, including development, daily functioning, environment, and individual history.

Learn more about psychological evaluations and therapy services.

An Individualized, Evidence-Based Approach

Depending on the client’s needs, care may integrate cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based strategies, behavioral therapy, parent coaching, executive functioning support, emotional regulation and coping skills, and systems-based collaboration with caregivers, schools, and other professionals.

Dr. Val takes a bird’s-eye view because no child or adult exists in a vacuum. She works to identify patterns, catch concerns that may have been overlooked, and help the people surrounding a client understand how to support meaningful progress.

Watch Dr. Val explain how her whole-person approach works.