Sara Valerious^Therapy Services Director

Sarah Valerious, LCSW
Therapy Services Director

Sara is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who comes to the Roaring Fork Valley from Salt Lake City, where she has built a career in clinical practice, supervision, teaching, and leadership. She previously served as a Crisis Clinician at Aspen Hope Center, gaining firsthand experience with the organization's trauma-informed, community-centered approach to behavioral health care. Her clinical foundation was shaped at the University of Utah's Behavioral Health Innovation and Dissemination Center (BHIDC), where she provided individual and couples therapy and trained extensively in evidence-based modalities. As adjunct faculty for the University of Utah School of Medicine, she taught Advanced Psychodynamics to psychiatry residents and went on to supervise residents alongside established and emerging clinicians in various disciplines, developing a teaching style rooted in curiosity, humility, and adapting complex ideas to her audience.

In her role as Therapy Services Director, Sara draws on deep experience in clinical training and workforce support. She previously served as Interim Director of Psychiatry Outpatient Psychotherapy Training, overseeing training structures, clinical staffing, and case conceptualization support across a complex outpatient program. She also founded the University of Utah College of Social Work's first in-house support program for graduate students, offering peer support to help emerging clinicians build resilience and sustain long-term careers in community mental health. Across these roles, Sara has developed expertise in psychologically safe, collaborative mentorship, evidence-based practice, and ethical decision-making under pressure — skills she now brings to shaping therapy services and supporting clinicians at Aspen Hope Center.