Cristiane Valdez
Becoming a Relationship Therapist
I became a relationship therapist to translate my passion for learning about people and cultures For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in what it means to be human. Not only do I find relationships fascinating, they are the most important aspect of the human experience. Over the years that interest drew me to the field of coaching and therapy. I am passionate about working with individuals who want to expand their understanding of their experiences and nurture self-compassion. I feel honored to be working with couples who want support in increasing their understanding of each other and themselves. I look forward to walking alongside my clients in their journey to finding meaning and purpose in their lives and in their relationships.
Counseling Philosophy
"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Now it is the time to understand more, so we may fear less." - Newman
My wish and commitment is for clients to find different ways in which to understand and love themselves more and for their lives and work to have more purpose and meaning. I pledge to create an environment where the clients feel valued, heard and understood with gentleness and compassion. Everyone has a story and I will help them explore, integrate and organize parts of their stories that have been forgotten.
I strive to work with a wide range of clients, from couples to individuals to families suffering from Stress, Anxiety, Grief, Self-Esteem, Work and Life Transitions. I feel passionate about helping others relieve their personal pain and suffering and help them gain new perspectives on life.
My Counseling Style and Strengths
Through my own years-long journey and experiences with the healing of trauma and anxiety as well as using Psychodynamic intervention and Mindfulness techniques I have developed a great deal of empathy for others. I am aware of the impact and importance healing can bring to those in need. Using integrative practices, my goal is to help clients set a firm foundation in order to alleviate emotional uncertainties and to guide them towards personal life transitions with awareness.
Using a collaborative approach, I will help clients explore and learn more about how their mind works by helping process thoughts, emotions, past experiences and relationships.
I am trilingual (English, Spanish, Portuguese) and I can incorporate that into my practice if that is a preference of the client.
Professional Counseling Background
I approach therapy through a Humanistic, Existential and Psychodynamic lens. I have worked with individuals and couples suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma and loss. Incorporating practical tools that will help recognize and understand emotions, building self-confidence and self-efficacy, working through life-transitions.
Professional Therapist Credentials and Training
- Master of Arts in Counseling Marriage & Family Therapy
- Life Coach Certification
- Gottman Method Therapy Level 2
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Informed
- Mindfulness & Anxiety Reduction Techniques
Hear From Our Clients
Hear from those who've experienced positive changes through our services.
“Dr. Dana made me feel so seen. I never felt shame for the trauma I’d caused. It was so healthy and helpful to find ways to navigate our conversations.”
“Thank you so much! It exceeded my expectations. You made me feel comfortable and supported.”
“I learned I need to take a 20 minute break when flooded, ask for clarity in facial expressions, use gentle startup and take ownership even if its small.”
“Gave me many tools and insights, I’m excited to implement them.”
“I couldn’t have had a better experience. Dana is so caring and smart and easily helped us navigate through our issues.”
“I learned that I need to ask for my needs and also take a break when I feel flooded.”
“I had an excellent experience, it helped me get clarity and learn valuable tools.”
“Dana was really effective at explaining the research, helping facilitate the conversation with figuring out how to address our biggest challenges.”
“Really pleased with the experience. Absolutely exceeded my expectations.”
“This helped lower the walls in our relationship.”
“Dana is superb, gracious, and kind. We’re very grateful.”
“I gained the clarity I was looking for!”
“Grateful to our extended therapist and her extended time! And of course, her dog!”
“The intensive process and longer sessions are incredibly helpful to push things further and get real work done.”
“The three-day package was necessary to enable the “emotional stretch” and that’s when we saw the best results.”
“This was a much needed intense session but helped promote healing and focus to decide where we go in life together.”
“This was well worth it and I’d definitely do it again!”
“This helped us sit and have uncomfortable conversations that were long overdue.”
“Exhausting but I loved everything about this!”
“This helped us have epiphanies and transformative thoughts.”
“Thank you so much for taking the time to really understand our issues and providing us with all the tools to use when future issues arise.”
“I feel like we have made huge progress on major issues with these three days.”
“Everything made me feel safe and comfortable here.”
“Therapist is great at listening and helping us with communication.”
“Absolutely, it was better than I expected and gave us great tools.”
“Empathetic and responsive.”
“Very accommodative and understanding.”
“I definitely feel Therapy Getaway helped with our relationship goals because it allowed a deeper dive in a structured fashion, with tools to continue improving our relationship.”
“Great session. They know their stuff and is really good at helping us find the language to effectively communicate.”
“They were incredibly instrumental in relating all the tools that my partner and I needed in areas where we struggle.”
“Therapy Getaway absolutely helped our relationship. They were amazing.”
“This was a very beneficial process. Dana made it easy for us to open up about every difficult issue we had been struggling with. We now have good tools.”
“It seemed at first that 2.5 days was long, but it feels so good to be in therapy that I wish it was 3-5 days!”
“Therapy Getaway immensely helped us talk about our problems in a safe place.”
“Dana is very experienced and sensitive to peoples situations and knows how to make you feel comfortable as if you were in your own home.”
“Learned a lot of coping tools. Dana was wonderful.”
