Valeria Espitia Gaviria

I’m a bilingual (Spanish/English), Latinx therapist with 6+ years of experience providing individual and group therapy in both inpatient and outpatient settings across Latin America and the Pacific Northwest.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master’s in Clinical Psychology, and I’ve worked with people across diverse ages, backgrounds, and clinical concerns. I’m especially passionate about working with emotional and relational difficulties, trauma, migration and life transitions, anxiety, depression, and emotion regulation. I’m also deeply attentive to culture, identity, and intersectionality, and believe therapy should be tailored to the person, not the other way around.

While I take the clinical work seriously, I believe therapy should also feel human, comfortable, and genuine. My goal is to create a space where you feel understood and accepted, while also having a therapist who is thoughtful and intentional about how we approach your concerns.

Outside of therapy, I’m a mom, a coffee lover, and always excited to try new foods and discover new places.

I take a thoughtful and structured approach to therapy, while keeping the process natural and collaborative. I want you to understand why we are doing what we are doing, not just follow a set of techniques. I believe that understanding yourself is an important part of creating lasting change.

My approach is grounded in contextual and “third-wave” cognitive behavioral therapies, including mindfulness-based approaches, DBT, ACT, Behavioral Activation, and Compassion-Focused Therapy. I draw from these approaches based on what fits your needs rather than following a one-size-fits-all model.

I also believe that people don’t need to be in therapy forever. My goal is for you to become increasingly knowledgeable and confident about yourself, your patterns, and your tools, ultimately becoming your own best therapist.

Our first session is about getting to know you, not just your symptoms. I’ll ask thoughtful questions about what brings you to therapy, your expectations, your personal context, and any previous experiences you’ve had with therapy (or if this is your first time).

As we begin to understand what is going on, I’ll share my observations and clinical understanding with you and work collaboratively with you to develop a plan for therapy. I want you to understand what we are working on and why. Throughout the process, I’ll prioritize creating a space that feels safe, comfortable, and free of judgment. You can expect both thoughtful clinical guidance and genuine warmth, acceptance, and room to be yourself.