Valerie Hamilton, LCSW

Social Worker

101 W Edison Ave Suite 219 Appleton WI, 54915 Show map

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About

Valerie Hamilton, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who attends to patients at her private practice in Appleton, WI. “Throughout my career, my focus has been to empower individuals to find their own personal balance and come to a place of self-acceptance through awareness of inner-strengths,” states Valerie about her mission as a psychotherapist. She has an impressive professional journey that spans thirty-one years and her areas of expertise cover addiction, anger management, anxiety, ADD and ADHD, bipolar disorder, grief, loss, and life changes, depression, sexual identity issues, stress related disorders, trauma, and relationships counseling.

Education and Training

University of Michigan School of Social Work Master of Social Work degree 1988

Provider Details

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Valerie Hamilton, LCSW

Valerie Hamilton, LCSW's Expert Contributions

My Answers

What is the best medication for insomnia and anxiety?
The best way to sleep is to have the same schedule every night. Start to relax at least a half hour before bed. Go to bed at the same time, turn off all electronics, get up at the same time in the morning. While in bed if you can't sleep, breath in for the count of 4 hold your breath for the count of 4 and breath out for the count of 4. Do that 10 times. There is not a great medicine for sleep because your body becomes used to the medication and they stop working. Try this and see if it helps. Good luck READ MORE
How do you overcome the stress of splitting up broken families?
Provide a space for the family to process their feeling and talk. Reassure the children that no one is leaving them. Give them the information they need to know that they will be taken care of. READ MORE
How do I help my daughter cope with our divorce?
Give her the platform to process and talk about their sfeelings. Kids often wonder what is going to happen to them. What if Mom or Dad meets someone else? Will they still want me? Kids feel abandonded when parents split. How come they couldn't love me enough to stay together. Also kids don't want to tell their friends. Let them know it is OK to tell their friends. It is not a secret they should have to to hide. Reassurance, reassurance, reassurance!! Good luck READ MORE
Are people with depression unable to work normally?
Many people with depression are able to work normally. Today's medicaitons can help with depression and anxiety. Some people are not able to work, however, if you are able to work you should. Not working has it's own complications and complicates depression in many ways. READ MORE
Do people with multiple personalities commit crimes?
Yes they can if not in therapy. READ MORE
When should a social worker be called?
A social worker at this point would not be called unless protective service got involved. I think you should call the police and ask them to do a well check. Let them know what you have been hearing. They keep your name confidential. READ MORE
How does seeing domestic violence affect children?
Children that are in homes where there is domestic violence are at higher incidences of depression, anxiety, trouble in school and acting out as teen. It can actually change the chemistry of their brain even as infants sleeping and there is yelling in the house. READ MORE
What is being done to prevent sexual abuse for children at home in at risk neighborhoods?
Teaching children how to stay safe and to tell an adult if they are ever hurt or touched. Police are much more able to track child porn users and sexual trafficking notices are in lots of places with phone numbers to call if they are being kept or know of someone who is being kept against their will. However, we need to continue to do more. READ MORE
Why is domestic violence increasing during the quarantines?
With loss of jobs, abusers who were going to go to work are now home all day. Increased drug use, poverty, social isolation, the division in this country if there even is a pandemic or if this will all be gone on Nov. 4, hunger, homelessness, the stress of the whole family home all day with no real outlets due to the pandemic. Homeschooling while parents are either working at home as well, trying to help their kids to use the computer, or having to go to work and have to decide what to do with their kids who are not in school. Students who are not self motivated to be independent enough to do school at home. Differences in parents opinions about staying safe during this pandemic, and people who have anger issues anyway, everything is just ramped up. READ MORE
What can be done about the rise in domestic violence cases during the pandemic?
Reaching out to the families that are in need of food, rent, and child care. In my area, there are many resources for people. There is a volunteer center of people who are contacting people that are isolated on the phone. We also need a better plan for schooling our children. Every school and district are different in their educational demands. Parents need support in this area. READ MORE
Can stress from work affect my relationships?
Absolutely, any stressful job can affect your relationship. As a social worker you may want to find some kind of coping skills to reduce your stress so it doesn't come home with you. It can be hard but there are many resources out there. READ MORE
Is being a social worker worth the salary?
Having a social work masters degree can give you many different options with many different salary options. There's government jobs, school jobs, private practice jobs, advocacy positions and many more. It's was worth it for me. I love what I do. You won't get rich probably but hopefully will have job satisfaction. READ MORE
How do social workers realize when a child is in danger?
I would look for a change in behavior, at home or in school. If the child reverts back to regressive behaviors like wetting their pants. Asking the child if they are OK. Therapy often involves play therapy with a make-believe family, puppets, drawings, etc. Sometimes if a child feels they will get in trouble if they "tell" they may feel more comfortable if they can "act it out" in play therapy. However, if there is a suspicion that a child is in danger, it is very important that what the child tells an adult does not put them in more danger. READ MORE
Do social workers get anxiety or depression?
Absolutely we can get anxious and or depressed. READ MORE
How do you handle the stress of being a social worker?
Self-care. I am fairly rigid about my schedule during my workdays. I go to bed by a certain time, wake up at the same time every day, I work out 4 to 5 days a week. Many therapists practice meditation, mindfulness, yoga, etc. I also try to eat well. I minimize expectations of myself during the week, save to the weekend and have never worked a 5 day week. Fridays are my downtime days. READ MORE
Does being in foster care have long-term effects on children?
I feel we need good foster care parents and God bless them, however, a child's best bets in life are to have 2 parents that love each other, are "grown ups," stay together and provide emotional and physical safety and security for their children. The long term effects are not from the foster parents necessarily but from what got them into the foster system in the first place. READ MORE
My daughter says one of her friends is being hit by her parents. What should I do?
Talk to the school counselor about what your daughter told you and let them handle the situation. Investigations will only occur if necessary. READ MORE
How do social workers handle the job?
Working with children is not for everybody. I don't see children anymore for the reason you described above. There are many different fields of social work and working with children is just one area. I admire anyone who can work with children in terrible situations. We need people who can handle that kind of work, but it is not for everybody. READ MORE
What is a typical work day for a social worker?
To answer your question about a typical work day. I can tell you my typical work day. Before work, I do reminder calls for the day ahead. I get to work in time for my first client. I do psychotherapy for 50 min. to an hour. I give myself 15 minutes between clients when I can. Then I go to my next client. At the end of the day, I pull my charts for the next day, file today's charts make necessary phone calls and go home. If you want to do counseling, you are choosing the right field, Social Work. We have the most opportunities for employment than other counseling professions. There are many areas and fields for social work. I just chose psychotherapy for myself. I have been doing it for 32 years and I love it. READ MORE
How likely do fathers get full custody of their children?
Wondering about how often fathers get custody; it depends on the county you live in and what the trend is in your area. I know that is a very vague answer, but that is what I have seen. Also, it's been my experience that you need solid evidence that your boys are not safe. A previous drug abuser is not relevant (at least in our county). Their mother being irresponsible is not enough evidence. Also, your lawyer is very significant. In my experience with the court system, the person with the best lawyer "wins." The court system can be really frustrating with lawyers and GALS not doing their job, long waiting periods, making decisions without enough information, and lawyers not getting back to you. The court system is an adversarial system there is a winner and a loser. So, I know this is not a solid answer, I would advise that if there is any way you, and the boys mother, can work things out together, without going through the courts you may be better off. Also, the decisions made are in place for at least 2 years and it is hard to change a court decision. It can be very costly. Good luck. READ MORE

Areas of expertise and specialization

addiction, anger management, anxiety, ADD and ADHD, bipolar disorder, grief, loss, and life changes, depression, sexual identity issues, stress related disorders, trauma, and relationships counseling