Clinical Expertise

Dr. Valerie “Val” Everett provides evidence-based care for children, adolescents, and adults with anxiety, obsessive-compulsive spectrum, and trauma-related disorders. Her clinical experience spans a broad range of presentations, including those that often co-occur with anxiety and trauma-based disorders, such as disordered eating, chronic pain, and somatic symptoms. Her work is grounded in a strengths-based, person-centered approach, drawing from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), family systems work, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills. She is also trained in caregiver-focused treatments, including Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), which focuses on teaching strategies and psychoeducation to families of young people with anxiety- or OCD-related challenges. With a warm, collaborative style—and a good dose of humor—she strives to help young people and their families feel safe, seen, and truly understood.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Dr. Everett integrates the central role of identity—including race, gender, sexuality, and disability—into her work, taking a trauma-informed and culturally responsive approach to psychotherapy. She is mindful that psychology has not always served marginalized communities well, and she strives to practice in ways that are thoughtful, respectful, and accountable. Drawing on her background in tailoring interventions to local communities and experience working with a wide range of populations, she prioritizes creating an inclusive, affirming, and accessible space that meets clients’ diverse needs and lived experiences. She is committed to ongoing reflection and learning, continually evolving her work to better support the people and communities she serves.

Training

Dr. Everett earned her BA in Psychology with a minor in English from the University of Connecticut and her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia. Her research and clinical interests in graduate school involved bolstering resilience factors in youth exposed to adversity, identifying youth who are at risk for experiencing poor psychosocial outcomes, improving accessibility of evidence-based care, and partnering with local stakeholders to tailor treatment to the needs of the local community. She has worked with youth and families in a variety of settings across the Philadelphia area, including Child Guidance Resource Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Department of Hem/Onc, Violence Intervention Program), Temple University’s Psychological Services Center, Center for Anxiety and Behavior Therapy, and Drexel University. She completed her internship at Boston Children’s Hospital / Harvard Medical School and post-doctoral fellowship at the Boston Child Study Center.

Education

• University of Connecticut, BA in Psychology, minor in English
• Temple University, MA in Clinical Psychology
• Temple University, PhD in Clinical Psychology
• Boston Children’s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School, Clinical Internship
• Boston Child Study Center, Postdoctoral Clinical Fellowship

Hobbies

In her free time, Dr. Everett enjoys playing rec sports, exploring the New England beaches, finding the best buffalo wings in Boston, and forcing pictures of her cats upon any person within a ten-foot radius of her phone.