Brianna Valenzuela, MA, LPC
she/her
Hi there, I’m Brianna. I grew up having many dreams about how I wanted to spend my life. However, at some point, I landed on becoming a counselor. I can’t quite say how I landed on this, just that somehow, I intuitively knew this was my path. I distinctly remember having experiences as a young child where when I would see someone in pain, whether it was emotional or physical, I would wish away their pain. I would wish so hard that I would tell whoever was hearing my wishes that I was willing to hold some of their pain for them, just so they wouldn’t have to. I didn’t know it then, but what I was experiencing was a thing called compassion. This is what drives my work and my life; encompassing the professional and personal. The professional and personal are inseparable in my life path; they are one in the same.
My personal identity as a multi-racial woman deeply informs the ways in which I walk this world and this path as a counselor. I am half Mexican and half Italian, raised by a single mother and the youngest of my sisters. I intimately recognize both the sacredness and sorrow of walking this borderland as a mixed-race individual; what it feels like to experience cultural homelessness and not fully know your place in the world. I approach my work with the understanding that we are complex social beings. Who we are, where we come from, and how we present to the world will undoubtedly inform how we walk this world and how the world responds to us. Regardless of the unique identities we hold, the personal, cultural, spiritual, interpersonal, and systemic, all coalesce.
I love working with trauma! I know that sounds weird to say, but there’s something in me that really roots down into the Earth when I work with clients. When working with trauma, I bring a mindful/intentional approach as I invite you to explore your present moment experience. My hope is to bring you into direct relationship with your somatic experience as we witness how trauma moves through the body. I will facilitate a gradual processing of your trauma, never rushing and always in deep care. We’ll work on developing and strengthening your own ways of tending to your experience so that when we do process through traumatic experiences, you have a felt sense of a sturdy ground to support you.
All this to say, I’m deeply passionate about working with trauma as well as the sacred intersectionality of multiple identities.
I’m a true believer in our innate capacity to heal and find a soul-ful, spirit filled life. I view my role as a therapist as a facilitator to help guide you to deeper places inside yourself that might be dormant or needing attention. In addition to your own goals in our work together, my goal is to support you in strengthening your connection to yourself. Through this work, our relationship with the world and others becomes energized as we awaken and open paths within that block our capacity to fully lean into our life.
My work is to tend to the heart.
My approach is warm, intentional, and relaxed.
My goal is to create a therapeutic space that feels welcoming. I view you as the guide and wise elder of your experience. My role is to bring light to the areas of yourself that are asking you to listen, to take a deeper look. It is here in that space where deep healing happens, where our capacity to fully be with ourselves and our experience expands.
To me, therapy is an act of love. It is a trust in ourselves and coming into direct relationship with our being and experience. I invite you on this journey of deep self-exploration, where I will walk alongside you in discovery.
professional trainings
B.A. Psychology - Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)
M.A. Clinical Mental Health Counseling with concentration in Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology - Naropa University (Boulder, CO)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) - Noeticus Counseling Center and Training Institute (Denver, CO)
SafeTALK Suicide Training - WINGS Foundation (Denver, CO)
QPR Gatekeeper Training for Suicide prevention (Boulder, CO)
Mindfulness Teacher Training - Naropa University (Boulder, CO)
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Trauma Themes Level 1 - Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute (Denver, CO)
Cost and Insurance
Individual Psychotherapy - $140/session
I accept the following insurances:
UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH
Oscar Health
Oxford
Quest Behavioral Health
Carelon Behavioral Health
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Aetna
Anthem
Cigna
*Sliding scale is also available on a case by case basis for those who do not have insurance or find it difficult to afford services. Please inquire if needed.