Meet valerie

Valerie Houghton has been working with children and families since 1976 as a student nurse in south Texas while earning a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Texas (1977). She received her M.A. in Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from Santa Clara University (1980) and began a private psychotherapy practice in 1983.

She subsequently returned to law school at SCU and completed a J.D. in 1988. While at SCU, Ms. Houghton completed her certificate in Public Interest Law, concentrating on disability civil rights and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). She holds three licenses in the applicable fields. Derived from her early work experience in critical care, hospice, and public health, she has continued to be a student of restorative justice and therapeutic jurisprudence, particularly as applied to advocacy and multigenerational family healing.

Conducting family mediations since 1983, Ms. Houghton maintains a private psychotherapy practice in San Jose, CA working with families, couples, and individuals, in addition to a limited forensic practice focused on evaluations, consultations, and family mediation. She has also opened up her Austin, TX practice after gaining her Texas licensure in 2022.