Valerie Monteiro, ACA

Valerie Monteiro is an ACA counsellor with 21 years of clinical experience based in Australia. She brings a calm, direct approach to conversations about stress, anxiety, grief and relationship difficulties. Valerie speaks English and Hindi and frames the first session as a practical chance to set goals and priorities.

Valerie meets people where they are and focuses on clear, doable steps. She uses conversation, practical exercises and reflective work to help clients manage emotions, improve communication and regain routine. Sessions may include examining patterns that keep someone stuck, and practising new responses between meetings.

Her background includes long experience supporting people through trauma, loss, chronic illness and major life changes. Valerie also works with intimacy issues, parenting strain, compassion fatigue and concerns linked to ADHD. She names specific areas like chronic pain, cancer, blended family challenges and first responder stress among her focus areas.

Valerie combines evidence-informed approaches with a person-centred stance. She draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Emotionally-Focused methods, and also uses EMDR where appropriate to process traumatic memories.

People who prefer straightforward, compassionate guidance tend to work well with her. She encourages collaboration on goals and practical skills that fit daily life. To start, clients complete a short questionnaire then schedule sessions through the platform.

How Valerie’s approaches translate to online therapy

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings while choosing actions that match their values. It’s useful for anxiety, depression and coping with life changes because it focuses on values and small, steady behaviour changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings and actions and teaches practical skills to manage anxiety, sleep problems and stress. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) focuses on emotions and interaction patterns that affect close relationships and helps people communicate needs more clearly.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Valerie treats the choice of tools as collaborative. She will discuss which methods suit the client’s goals and adjust the plan as therapy progresses.

If you are considering online sessions, confirm the available formats before booking since session types are not detailed here. Online work can make it easier to fit appointments into a busy life, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed. It also lets people continue therapy during illness, relocation or other life changes while keeping the focus on practical skills, emotion work and processing difficult memories when appropriate.