Valaree Schelhammer

Valaree A. Schelhammer, LCSW (she/her) is from a family of helping professionals. Her experiences navigating different environments and challenges as she grew up make it easy for her to relate to people struggling in their own lives. 

Valaree received her bachelor's degree in social work and master’s in social work from the University of Washington Tacoma and has been an LCSW in Washington State since 2020. 

In her positions with the Department of Children and Families, Valaree worked to reunite parents with their children, monitored foster and relative home placements, and ensured the health and safety of everyone involved. 

Valaree has worked as a medical social worker at a children’s hospital for the past six years. In this role, she provides counseling, support, and resources to parents and families navigating chronic illness and cancer. 

Valaree most enjoys spending time with patients and being there to support them as they navigate challenging situations. Her work begins with connection and rapport building and is led by the client's needs. Valaree admires the resilience she sees in her patients and how they can rise and overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles. 

Valaree works with children and adults with anxiety, depression, chronic illness, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and anyone navigating life transitions. Valaree is incredibly motivated to work with people of color. 

As a client of Valaree’s, you’ll enjoy a calming experience where your therapist listens and offers support and validation. Valaree’s clients comment that she is a real person who's gone through real things and can see when someone needs encouragement, reframing, and outside help or other services. When someone is really struggling, they need someone to point out what they’re doing right and what they excel with. With Valaree, you always have permission to be human and struggle sometimes.  

Valaree believes in a strengths-based approach to therapy and uses multiple modalities to help clients use what they’re already good at to propel themselves forward. Valaree is a mother of two and the spouse of someone navigating chronic illness. She is a nature-lover who turns to pilates, picnicking, paddleboarding, and swimming for relaxation. 

Valaree offers weekend appointments.