Today we’d like to introduce you to Valerie Olvera.
Valerie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Hello, my name is Valerie Olvera Licensed professional counselor associate. I graduated from Southwestern Assemblies of God University in 2019 with my bachelor’s or counseling psychology. I graduated with my master’s in clinical mental health counseling in 2023. My specialties are childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, relationship/family conflict. I started my Instagram page in June 2023 called brand.new.me.therapy. I grew very quickly and faster than I ever expected. In 5 months, I have reached 30K followers, and I plan on continuing to grow. I hope to create a personal brand for myself not because I want to be famous but because I want my message to be heard. My 3 words are HEALTHY, HEALING, WHOLE. I feel like these are the core things that I strive for in life and that I believe everyone should, although I cannot force someone into their healing journey. My goal with my page was to create and cultivate a community of trauma survivors and people who struggle with their mental health, so they know they are not alone in their struggles and that healing is possible. I want my followers to feel seen, heard and understood so they can feel inspired to start their own healing journey. If they start healing, we would create a new generation of healthy and healing people.
Back story: The reason why I became a therapist stems back to my childhood. I saw that my extended family had lots of generational trauma, meaning issues that were passed on from one generation to the next. Things such as addictions, abuse, and violence. While I did not experience abuse myself. I was impacted by people close to me experiencing incredible hardship. I grew up in a Christian home. My mom always took us to church. My dad was a former drug dealer and overall, not a good man. I saw him completely change his life at the age of 7. He was not always there for us, but he decided to be when I was 7. He spent time in prison before I was born. I have three older brothers. My oldest brothers experienced the greatest hardship not having the father figure they deserved, and mom struggling mentally and financially. I was able to get the father figure that they did not have. My life was not perfect, but it was also not extremely traumatic. I have many childhood memories of my parents screaming and fighting with one another. I was scared and helpless as a child growing up in a chaotic environment. It was not all bad whatsoever; it was just my perception as a child, and it impacted me. Consequently, I became a perfectionist and people pleaser. I also struggled with insecurities and body image. I hated myself. This was not all a result of my upbringing but simply a consequence of living in an imperfect world with imperfect people. I continued to be a Christian despite it all, but I still hated myself. I wanted to be perceived as “the perfect Christian girl who had it all together.” when in reality I struggled with insecurities, anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
When I got to college in 2018 in Waxahachie, I was having an amazing time living in a new place and meeting new friends. I perceived a betrayal or abandonment from a couple of friends that triggered me greatly. I had an unhealthy attachment to them that I had not realized, so losing them was very painful. On January 28, 2018, I took a deathly amount of pills that would have killed me. While it had been labeled as a suicide attempt, I did not realize what I was doing at the time. I was just trying to get rid of my emotional pain, and I had no idea how to deal with it. I was taken to the hospital by a couple of friends. They got me there in time to clear my system. It was after I returned to school that I struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. I had no plan to kill myself, but I also just didn’t want to be here. I didn’t know why. I realized that perceived betrayal had triggered fears of abandonment and rejection inside of me. I have swept everything underneath the rug a child and never dealt with my issues. I didn’t know how. NOW everything was coming back up. It wasn’t about those friends, it was about me. I was unhealed. I started healing by going to therapy, reading books, relying on my support system, and FEELING EVERYTHING. I also relied on my relationship with God. I cried, and I cried. I let myself feel everything. Healing is in layers. It does not happen overnight or even in a few months, but this is one layer I had to peel back to discover my true and authentic self. I continue to heal to this day. I can happily say I no longer struggle with these thoughts. I am healthy, healing, and whole. I am secure in myself and who I am. This was an experience that completely changed the trajectory of my life. At the time I already knew I wanted to be a therapist someday, so having my own mental health struggles was discouraging to me. I remember God telling me, “The same reason you are disqualifying yourself is the same reason I am qualifying you.” I know what it’s like to be in a dark place, and not to sound cleshae but I found the light. I found peace, freedom, and hope. I want to help others experience that no matter how traumatic their past may be. My Dad taught me that NO ONE is beyond hope as someone who completely changed his life over for good.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall, the road has been both rocky and smooth. The hardest part was moving from Dallas area to Houston area. Even after I began my healing journey, I still struggled for a couple year loving myself and just being true and authentic to myself. I started dating a loving, gentle, and compassionate man, and we married in 2020, which is when I moved to Houston area. He helped me discover even more wounds I still needed to heal. I am so grateful for him. We are not perfect at all, but I love us. In 2021, another layer peeled back when I discovered I struggled a lot with anxiety, specifically high functioning. At the time, I was working as a family specialist/caseworker for a foster care agency AND doing practicum. I realized I put all my time into work, school, practicum, and none into myself or my relationship. I was burned out. I was not prioritizing myself like I should have been. I was just surviving. I realized some of my perfectionistic tendencies and some insecurities were still there. The solution was I found a job I can use as my practicum instead of doing two jobs. I was a QMHP (qualified mental health professional) within the same foster care agency. We did social and emotional learning with children and adolescents in the DFPS system. I loved my job and all of my kids. I dealt with kids that came from extreme abuse and neglect, so it was not without its challenges. I did the best I could with what I knew. The most important thing was me being a safe and consistent adult for them to rely on because many of them did not have that. I left that agency when I graduated with my master’s because driving all over the Houston area was a lot. I realized I valued my time and a slow lifestyle, which is where I am now. I work for Intentional Therapy, which is a virtual private practice, and another one in Pearland, TX. I am mainly virtual, and I love it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate in the state of Texas (supervised by Huston McComb). I specialized in childhood trauma, depression, anxiety, relationships., family conflict, stress, and more. You can find me on psychology today as well. I am most known for my Instagram and TikTok brand.new.me.therapy. I am most proud that in only 5 months, I have reached 30K followers. I have created a community to help people feel seen, heard, and understood. I believe what sets me apart is that I am true to myself. I am not a blank-slate therapist. We can laugh in session, we can talk about other things besides trauma, we can relate to one another, etc. I am not perfect. I own my imperfections. I own that I am still healing to this day. I own that I still struggle with insecurities sometimes. I own that I still struggle with anxiety sometimes. I own that I am imperfect person, but I love and accept myself AS I AM and work toward growth. I want my clients to see that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
This is a hard question for me because I don’t really believe in luck. If I did, I think it would be by luck of chance that my page grew so fast, and I hope it can continue to grow.
Pricing:
- Therapy session (individual) -$100
- Couples Session=$120
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brand.new.me.therapy/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-olvera-72a8411a7
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@brand.new.me.therapy?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Kevin Avila
JcPenny Portraits
