Valerie C. Munoz

Valerie C. Munoz, Author of I Am My Father's Daughter and My Mother's Legacy has a Master’s Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and a Bachelor’s of Science in Child Development. Valerie is currently in pursuit of her Ph.D. in Depth Psychology with specialization in Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices. At the age of seventeen she became pregnant and began her family, resulting in four children, three grandchildren and a thirty-three-year marriage ending in divorce. It was through entrepreneurship establishing a Family Day Care home for over twenty-five years that began her journey servicing at-risk communities collaborating with many non-profit organizations such as options food program, International Institute of Los Angeles, Mexican American Opportunity Foundation, and Department of Children and Family Services.

Entreprenueriship afforded her a way to raise her children and discover the need for mental health services. Valerie’s gift of working with children of trauma from her childhood provoked her to attend East Los Angeles College, where her journey to higher education began; this awarded her to invite child development students to utilize her Family Daycare home as an example for students to learn the many skills and abilities in working with children of severe emotional disturbances which we recognize today as Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorders and setting up an environment for successful outcomes.

Valerie has served in private practice, facilitation of both the victims and perpetrators ordered by the courts for domestic violence, anger -management and parenting classes for over six years. She has worked with families of divorce and immigration services, Crisis centers where she assessed and diagnosed many with severe mental health conditions, and supported many with suicidal and homicidal ideation. Valerie continues contributing her passion in helping families repair, restore, and rebuild from trauma by servicing Foster Care Agencies. Valerie's goal is to reach a broader audience in treating and understanding children with trauma by training foster care parents, Teachers and Social Workers. 

Valerie also continues to provide psychotherapy with foster care children one on one who need intensive trauma treatment to assist them with managing their behaviors and healing from their painful events.  Valerie’s purpose in sharing her story is to uncover and reveal the hidden trauma that exists today and has gone without the benefits of psychotherapy. The residual effects of trauma is in our schools, our colleges, our homes, our churches and temples, our neighborhoods,  and standing at times right in front of us; yet we are too busy to notice! Valerie hopes that through her story others will become less threatened by the benefits of mental health in its many forms today and utilize treatment realizing the urgent call for families to heal through mental health approaches, Artistically, Musically, Narratively, Spiritually, Holistically in its newest and affordable forms.