(she/her)
New to Grow
My name is Val Jones. I specialize in trauma recovery using somatic (body-based) and narrative (storytelling) approaches. I work with individuals and families, both online and in-person. Whether you want to find your voice after trauma, reconnect with your body, heal from relationship wounds, or reimagine your story in new ways, I’m ready to meet you where you are with presence and care.
In our work together, we’ll explore how life experiences — including trauma, oppression, and societal pressures — shape the ways you see yourself and others. I invite creativity, reflection, and collaboration in every session. Together, we can uncover and nurture the values, hopes, and strengths that will guide your story forward.
What makes working with me a unique experience is that I draw from so many different areas of study and experience in my work. As I support you in re-writing your stories, I might share connections to literature, philosophy, poetry, or art that may help as you work through those experiences. My first master’s degree was in humanities, and I taught philosophy and ethics for several years before becoming a social worker. I am a trained yoga teacher, am currently in training for certification in EMDR, and have a deep and abiding interest in the healing power of wild spaces. I am consciously crafting a practice that is anti-racist, feminist, and inclusive and I have an eye for bringing in the cultural narratives that impact our lives in ways that are insightful and liberating. I integrate somatic and body-based techniques, often including gentle yoga, breathwork, and nature-based practices to help your body and mind process and release what words alone cannot.
Adults and families who have survived or witnessed traumatic events and are ready to work through those impacts so that they can get on with life. Domestic violence survivors, first responders, people with recently acquired disabilities, people going through breakups or divorce, job changes or other major life transitions. Blended family issues, peace with food and body, body positivity, health at every size.
EMDR
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based practice that is very effective in alleviating distress associated with traumatic memories. While the protocol was originally developed using eye movements during sessions, therapists now have other methods to create bi-lateral stimulation in the brain. These include eye movements, tactile pulses, and auditory tones. The idea is to get both hemispheres of the brain engaged in processing stressful memories so that the body can naturally process them. Trauma can block memories from being fully processed, which, it is believed, leads to the suffering associated with conditions like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) including nightmares, flashbacks, and jumpiness (among other things).
Narrative
Narrative Therapy is an approach to talk therapy that was developed in the 1980's by Michael White and David Epston. It is based heavily on postmodern/poststructuralist philosophy. Basically, Narrative Therapy looks at the social construction of reality as it is embedded in within stories that shape and give meaning to our experiences and identities. Basically, Narrative Therapy is about telling the same old stories in new ways. Narrative therapists work with people to separate them from the problems they are having, and to rewrite stories that are creating problems in day-to-day life. We support people in questioning that which the larger, cultural narratives tell us are true so they can find their own agency in creating the lives they truly want to live. In this way, Narrative practice is political. It supports people in looking at their lives at various levels of experience in order to find those spaces and/or storylines where they feel they have the freedom and ability to make changes in their lives.
Somatic
Therapeutic yoga (the somatic method I use) blends traditional yoga (poses, breathwork, meditation, etc.) with somatic movement and awareness techniques. It emphasizes interoception (awareness of internal body signals), proprioception (sense of body position), and embodied awareness. In sessions with me, I always incorporate breathwork (pranayama) into sessions to promote a sense of centered awareness. In trauma-work, I rely on yoga to do a number of different things that promote recovery and resilience: Awareness: attention to the bodily sensations that provide feedback about thoughts and emotions. Grounding: access a sense of safety and connection in the here-and-now. Breathwork enhances the tone of the vagus nerve, which is connected to the body's defense systems. Awakening: yogic movement and breath practices that are energetic tend to animate and bring joy to the body. They encourage short bursts of elevated heart rate and respiration with phases of active recovery to increase vagal efficiency and nervous system health. Calming: yoga interventions that emphasize restfulness help people develop a greater capacity to access a calm and relaxed state. Somatic Yoga Therapy is considered a complimentary or alternative approach to psychotherapy. While there is a lot of research that supports its efficacy, it is not currently considered an evidence-based practice.