Alexa Adamo Valverde LPC, LCMHCA
Psychotherapist
Hello there. I’m Alexa Adamo Valverde, a psychotherapist at Modern Change in Durham. I am so glad you are taking steps to get the support you need for yourself, your child, or your family. I specialize in trauma-focused narrative therapy, play therapy, and infertility. I am a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor Associate (LCMHCA) in North Carolina, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Georgia, and am working towards certification as a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). In addition, I bring 20 years of nonprofit leadership for organizations advocating for community mental health, for social justice, and for promotion of the arts as a tool for healing.
**At this time, Alexa is only in-network with Ambetter, Aetna, MedCost & BCBS. She is considered out-of-network with ALL other insurance companies. Check back for updates on her ability to accept insurance(s) as she gets paneled.
Trauma, Play therapy, Infertility
When we experience difficult life events that negatively impact our sense of who we are and/or our sense of safety in the world, we must find a way to process those experiences if we are to heal. When we don’t, our normal response to trauma can include emotional dysregulation, hypervigilance, always being on the lookout for danger, and disconnection. In children, this can look like tantrums, acting out, and defiance. Unprocessed trauma can manifest in mental health challenges like anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, and even physical illness. Each one of us needs a safe space to heal, sometimes individually, and sometimes in collaboration with our family.
For women and couples facing challenges to create your family, this is also true. Infertility comes with loss after loss. Rethinking if and/or how you will become a parent, trying to conceive each month, pregnancy loss, the IVF rollercoaster, foster care and adoption are types of reproductive trauma. I support women and couples in the midst of the journey, to help you navigate your options, process your experiences thus far, grieve the losses, and open up to possibility. Therapeutic support, individually or with your partner, can be transformative and help you take meaning from this difficult path, whether you become a parent or choose to be child-free.
Clients I Work With
It is my great honor to work with children, teens, families and adults who’ve experienced childhood and other trauma, and women/couples facing infertility, perinatal loss, IVF, and other challenges to create their families`. Clients I work with may have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect; loss of a parent, sibling, or other loved one; the roller coaster of foster care or adoption; and other forms of trauma. I am also passionate about serving women, men, and couples facing challenges to grow their families, whether infertility, perinatal loss, IVF, adoption, or other reproductive trauma.
How Therapy with Me Can Help
I offer therapy that meets you where you are, helps you connect with your life story, and discover your own calm center. I utilize neuro-biologically informed, trauma-focused narrative play therapy. As a narrative therapist, I listen for the dominant narratives of your life, the stories that often seem to jump from one difficulty to the next, and help you see the alternative stories that include your strengths, resiliencies, the ways you survived difficulty, and your unique skills. Therapy with me can help you listen to your authentic voice and identify the best means for you to process your life story(ies). This can include play (especially for children, but also powerful for families and adults), expressive arts, movement, body awareness, mindfulness, writing, conversation, or all of the above. I’ll guide you to safely process trauma, and collaborate with you to cultivate self-compassion, a sense of agency, and healing, one present moment at a time. No matter the difficulties you experienced, therapy can help you pave a path forward to joy, clarity, and wholeness.
On a more personal note…
I moved to Chapel Hill from Atlanta in 2020. I am enjoying getting to know North Carolina, visiting the beaches, the mountains, and the nooks and crannies of the Triangle. I live near Jordan Lake with my husband, two kids, dog Lula, and our two Guinea Pigs, Penny and Lily. In my free time, I enjoy kayaking, yoga, playing the flute, journaling, spiritual community, and playfully raising my children. I love authentic connection and figuring out how to become the fullest expression of ourselves. I am still on my own journey, and would love to support you on yours.
Contact Alexa today:
alexa@modernchangenc.com
Phone (Call or Text): 919-205-3078
Ready to book? Use the button below to go directly to our online scheduler. Alexa is offering FREE 15 minute video consultations to get started.
Alexa Adamo Valverde offers psychotherapy in Durham, NC.