Reflections
- Dr. Valerie Simonsen
Practitioner Testimonials
Click the list to the right to view testimonials for specific practitioners, or scroll down to view them all.
In 2011 I was at a crossroads in my life. Afraid to fail, afraid to succeed. Dr. Valerie served myself & other healthcare providers at Yayasan Bumi Sehat in Bali with healing tools of YOU KNOW MORE. Results were I was able to move forward into my most astonishing future.
The amazing thing about workshops with Dr. Valerie is how long they stay with you. The skills she teaches are ones I've kept forever in my tool bag, internalized, and brought forth in my own work. Dr. Simonsen's workshops not only taught me skills but helped me more fully inhabit myself so that I could more effectively share those skills with my own clients. Her radiant warm presence invites you forward to be what you know you can, the most vibrant grounded version of yourself. My goal in my own work is to help people become more Embodied, Present, Connected, and Alive - and that work has been influenced by my time with Dr. Valerie, learning how to tap directly into the "more" that I know. She is an inspiration and a beacon whose light has touched so many people and whose spark has ignited so many creative fires in others! I feel grateful every day for the wise and empowering tools she imparted, tools that have helped me fine-tune my own ability to help others.
“I loved the creative ways that Andrea had us open our minds and personalities with the art.”
“We explore new ways of becoming aware of our needs, hopes, and aspirations. By being open to our felt sense, we become more in touch with ourselves.”
“The Expressive Arts Group on Wednesday was an enriching experience. Andrea led us in an exploration of the meaning of embodiment, connection, vitality, and presence in our lives.”
“The most important part of the program was going through the journey with others. Andrea has tremendous insight and skill at making a person feel heard and validated. Was so helpful I requested 1:1 sessions over the winter months.”
“Expressive Arts Therapy opens our hearts. The varied modalities offer opportunities to explore our inner selves, while also sharing with others. The theme of each group, such as change, sets an intention. Becoming more aware of our inner felt sense as a touch
stone for self-awareness and affirmation feels right. Trusting ourselves is essential. ‘The process and not the product’ is a way to feel comfortable to explore our personal needs, hopes, and aspirations. Engaging in Expressive Arts is a path for expanding our
self awareness, resilience, and growth. I love it!”
“The most meaningful part of the program for me is when Andrea works off the energy in the moment of the group while she teaches/leads. I learned extremely important concepts about writing that I am excited to know--concepts that moved me through a plateau with my writing that I have been longing to get past. I enjoyed her broad scope of perspective and her extra sensitive way of facilitating to show respect for all points of view. I enjoyed her specific use of literary terms and coaching from journal writing to the
possibility of publishing a book.”
“Working with Andrea helped move my writing to the next level in how I approached structuring stories and characters. I was impressed with the scope of how much Andrea covered in 6 weeks. I appreciated her encouragement and dedication to each one of us
in the class to make sure we felt seen and heard when we shared. The body-positive coaching she did with breathwork and awareness of environment was helpful to encourage writing from the perspective of my whole person, not just the mind.”
I have had the privilege of working with Andrea through the writing workshops at the Virginia Thurston Garden, a unique center of integrated healing support for people living with cancer. She did this so effectively in the group setting that I signed up to work one-to-one with her for several months. Andrea has a talent for helping me to harness my imagination using various creative modalities as a way to uncover and deepen my understanding of myself. I have worked with practitioners for years, but with Andrea it felt that I was pushing upward and surfacing as a reclaimed, renewed and more alive, healthy version of myself. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to work with Andrea and would again if the opportunity arose.
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Andrea was my therapist from June 2019 through August of 2021. As our sessions went on, she was able to address all of my concerns. Her patience, understanding, and the fact that she
genuinely cared really gave me a new perspective and allowed me to proceed and focus on my therapy. I can honestly say that my time spent with Andrea was an amazing journey of processing, healing, and growth. I've met a lot of people in this journey they call life and Andrea is absolutely on my favorites list. Her therapy sessions were invaluable, and I cannot praise her work enough. To this day, I utilize tools that I learned from Andrea in my daily life. My journey continues, and I get to take the knowledge and experience with me. My experience with Andrea was absolutely amazing, even through the hard stuff. In closing, I will say that Andrea is genuine in that she truly cares about her work, those she works with, and the methods she employs. If it was possible, I would still be working with her, and I recommend anyone that has the chance to do so. The impact she has had on my life is nothing short of amazing.
I have been so blessed with Suzie's work. Her ability to zone in and receive guidance from the field is astounding. She is my go to healer as I have watched her create her incredible life for the last few years. Whenever I feel disconnected or as I say go in dormant incubating new events. She is capable of seeing what is about to come in. She helps me view blind spots, which I could have never considered before. Therefore, assisting my body to ease in change with acceptance and choice. Suzie is gifted, connected and her Bio Field work is spectacular. I recommend everyone to Suzie, even personal clients to experience her work.
Suzie has worked reflexology wonders over the last 6 months on my body: sore, tight muscles due to a hip replacement, following the Thomas Fire with PTSD, ear infection and sinus inflammation, and a general feeling of wellness and joy. The biofield healing is also remarkable as a spiritual and emotional adjustment. I can sense Suzie moving through my body and my auric field. Afterwards, she shares her insights and possible corrective measures. For example, once my abdominal region was inflamed, she sensed I wasn’t absorbing minerals and recommended liquid fulvic mineral complex. The problem was resolved in hours.
Suzie has a wonderful ability to bring love, light and hope to her clients. Her calm demeanor and exceptional insights helped me work through very difficult moments in my past. I’m always reinvigorated after our sessions.