Kamarea Valentine (they/she)

LSW
Accepting Clients

I am a licensed social worker with a focus on trauma and identity who works with individuals, couples, and families across the lifespan.

Therapist in Forest Park, IL
Supervised by Ciara Thomas, LCSW

Services
  • Individual
  • Couples
  • Family
  • Child
  • Adolescent/Teen

About My Clients

- Black women and genderqueer folks navigating identity, relationships, and belief systems - Community organizers and activists - Children, teens, and young adults navigating PTSD or other trauma-related concerns - Young adults and adults working through intergenerational trauma and reconnection - People who identify as first-generation or children of immigrants - Families seeking new ways of relating to one another - BIPOC and queer couples

My Background and Approach

Much of my expertise comes from working with youth and families in community settings like schools, non-profits, and detention centers. A trauma-informed and strengths-based lens serves as the foundation of my practice through which I employ traditional talk modalities, such as DBT, with somatic modalities. With kids, I lean more into play and art. In the beginning, I focus on learning about who you are and what you wish to get out of our work together through questions, discussion on random topics, and sometimes hard moments characterized by complex emotions and thoughts. It is important that you feel safe and supported in each session so just show up as you are and I’ll meet you there! As we become more comfortable with one another, I will try and challenge you in your beliefs, behaviors, etc. to help you reflect on your development and the impact it has on your current circumstances. My guidance is to help you to actualize your therapeutic aspirations through mind and body work.

My Personal Beliefs and Interests

In navigating institutions of oppression and their impact, I believe it is important to lean on one another. As a community organizer and abolitionist, I center my therapeutic practice in supporting individuals to foster love for themselves and others alongside their autonomy. I believe that we should center authenticity, care, trust, honesty, and responsibility in all of our relationships rooted in love. It is essential that as we imagine a better world when we are imagining a better life.

Techniques I Use

Specialties
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Somatic Therapy: Body-Based Healing for Emotional Trauma Trauma Therapy
Other Techniques
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
  • Anger Management Therapy
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
  • Couples Counseling
  • Culturally Sensitive Therapy
  • Eclectic Therapy
  • Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
  • Family Systems
  • Family Therapy
  • Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
  • Motivational Interviewing
  • Psychoanalytic
  • Solution Focused Brief Therapy
  • Person-Centered (Rogerian)
  • Relationship Counseling
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Issues I Treat

Specialties
Historical/ Intergenerational Trauma LGBTQ-Friendly Therapists Racial Identity
Other Issues
  • Anger Issues
  • Anxiety
  • Bipolar
  • Burnout
  • Child Issues
  • Codependency
  • Depression
  • Divorce
  • Family Conflict
  • Gender Identity Therapy
  • Grief or Loss
  • Insomnia
  • Marriage Counseling
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Parenting
  • Polyamorous and Open Relationships
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Racial Identity
  • Self-Esteem
  • Sexual Problems
  • Spirituality
  • Suicidal Thoughts
  • Teen Issues
  • Women's Issues

Qualifications

License
LSW, State of Illinois · #150.129511
Supervision
Supervised by Ciara Thomas, LCSW
Years in practice
2 years
Insurance Plans Accepted
  • Optum
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS)
  • United Healthcare
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO
  • Optum Health
  • United Healthcare Optum
I offer online counseling in the following states:

Hours & Availability

New clients welcome
Currently accepting new clients
In-person & Telehealth
Both available

Location

Primary Location

7227 Madison Street
Forest Park, IL 60130
773-774-4444

Access & Transport

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance (ADA compliant)
  • Gender-neutral bathrooms
Open in Google Maps ↗ · GPS: 41.8797647°, -87.8059083°

At A Glance

  • Experience: 2 years of practice

Info

Email Kamarea
7227 Madison Street
Forest Park, IL 60130
6321 N Avondale Ave
Chicago, IL 60631

Reach out to Kamarea