Kaitlyn Valdez, LPC

I am passionate about helping people create a life in which they feel heard, validated, and safe. I have always been curious about anxiety and depression, but it was not until graduate school that I discovered my love for working with victims of trauma, chronic illness, and eating disorders. Since joining Embrace Strength Counseling in 2020, I have also begun to specialize in the treatment of self-harm, generational trauma, tension myositis syndrome (TMS), and infertility/postpartum concerns.

As a kid, I was always playing a sport or involved with the performing arts despite facing numerous health problems. Everything became an ongoing attempt at perfection: graduating high school with a 4.0 GPA, joining a sorority in college, being the only female equipment manager in the SEC-East for a Division I Football team, going straight from undergraduate to grad school, and achieving licensure as soon as I could. When I stopped trying to hide behind my achievements, I started to create a life that gave me the flexibility to be imperfect. Achievements are wonderful and have brought me far, but they primarily served to hide the shame and trauma I was experiencing as a result of some of these accomplishments. My goal is to help my clients leave behind a life led by shame to build a life full of resilience, hope, and safety.


I graduated with a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from New Mexico State University and am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and Minnesota, with a certification in trauma treatment. I work from a relational and strengths-based perspective, with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MB-CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) integrated into my practice. When working with eating disorders/disordered eating, I use a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach as we work together to find new coping skills.

In my off hours, I am the proud dog mom to Maverick and Riley. You will find me cooking, baking, or crafting if I’m not out walking the pups.