Dr. Valerie Zeiger, LPC

Dr. Valerie Zeiger is an Alabama-licensed professional counselor with 15 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, depression, compassion fatigue, addictions, relationship struggles, anger, and self-esteem concerns. Dr. Zeiger emphasizes that each person knows their own story and brings strengths to the work of change. She offers steady support for people ready to take a first step toward greater well-being.

Her approach blends several evidence-informed methods into practical, down-to-earth work. She uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to address unhelpful thoughts and actions. Attachment-Based and Emotionally-Focused ideas help uncover patterns in close relationships. Much of the work involves noticing patterns, practicing simple self-regulation skills, and testing small changes in daily life.

She describes therapy as a collaborative process that focuses on values and meaning. Sessions often include exercises to interrupt intense physical reactions and bring the body back to a calmer state. This can help with overwhelm, anger, and addictive urges. The therapist and client work together to name habits that keep problems cycling and to try new ways of responding.

Dr. Zeiger also addresses family-of-origin issues, abandonment concerns, codependency, commitment worries, communication and control problems, divorce and separation, and first responder stress. She aims to tailor sessions to the person in front of her rather than a fixed method. Her style is warm, pragmatic, and focused on usable skills.

If someone is considering therapy, she invites them to explore values, learn coping tools, and take gradual steps toward a more meaningful life.

Therapeutic approaches and how they work online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) focuses on clarifying what matters to you and taking small committed steps toward those values while learning to notice difficult thoughts without getting stuck in them. It is often helpful for anxiety, depression, and coping with major life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and actions and uses simple experiments to test and change unhelpful patterns; it often helps with anxiety, anger, and compulsive behaviors. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationship patterns shape current reactions and can be useful when communication, trust, or abandonment worries get in the way of feeling connected.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist will collaborate with each person to identify which methods feel most useful given their goals, needs, and preferences. That means trying techniques, checking what helps, and adapting the plan over time so the work fits the person rather than the person fitting a single method.

Practical benefits of online work can include fitting sessions into a busy week and using therapy tools in the settings where problems actually happen. Because session formats are not specified here, confirm current session options before booking. Many people find that remote sessions make it easier to maintain continuity of care and practice skills between meetings, while still keeping sessions focused on real-world changes and daily coping strategies.