Credentials

Valeria E. Milstead-Benabdallah, LCSW, PC is the lead psychotherapist at VEMB Psychotherapy Services. Listed below is her education, credentials, certifications, accreditation, and a partial list of trainings she has completed. 

Education/Credentials/Certifications/Accredidation

• 1992: Received a B.A. in Sociology: Independent Research "Psychological Trauma of Girls in West Africa Undergoing Ritual Abuse" (University of California, Davis); funded by UCD's Women's Research Center (honored as a MURALS Scholar) and 1994 Master of Social Welfare: Child & Family Emphasis - Direct Practice (University of California, Berkeley). I started working in the mental health field in 1992.
• 2000: Relocated to Oklahoma and maintained professional licensure via the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers.
• 2001: Certified through the University of Oklahoma as a Resource Family Assessor for families seeking private and public adoptions.
• 2002: Valeria E. Milstead-Benabdallah, LCSW, PC (Professional Corporation) was established as a solution-focused private practice.
• 2003: Certified as a Board-Approved Clinical Supervisor (BAS ) by the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers.
• 2004: The National Association of Social Workers certified me as a Qualified Clinical Social Worker and a Diplomate of Clinical Social Work (the highest lifetime certification achievable through NASW for competent & highly skilled licensed clinical social workers only).
• 2005: NOVA Crisis Response Trained Volunteer through Oklahoma Dept. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services and National Organization for Victim Assistance.
• 2006: Prevention & Relationship Enhancement Instructor sponsored by Oklahoma Marriage Initiative.
• 2008: My psychotherapy practice earned the highest accreditation available by CARF International, for outstanding business practices & clinical services. OK Dept. of Mental Health & Substance Abuse certified & contracted with me as a Maternal/Infant Behavioral Health Specialist to provide clinical services to pregnant & new mothers in need (referrals from hospitals, WIC, self, drug court, etc.).
• 2010: Facilitated self-esteem workshops for the youth and their parents sponsored by Community Youth Outreach, churches & sororities. Also acknowledged by Oklahoma State Legislature in a Commendation "for outstanding work for the citizens of District 97, her community, and the state of Oklahoma."
• 2011: Lectured in college prep psychology classes to high school students.
• 2011: Re-accredited by CARF for three additional years.
• 2012: Gave several psychotherapy-related presentations to high school psychology classes.
• 2013: Also acquired licensure in Texas via the Texas State Board of Social Work Examiners.
• 2014: Nominated NASWOK's Social Worker of the Year by James Marks, LCSW, Executive Director of the Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers.​

Training (Partial List)
We continually participate in seminars & workshops to enhance our clinical and behavioral support skills, so we may provide the best to our clients.

• Time-Limited Psychodynamic Therapy (Hanna Levenson)
• Eclectic Brief Therapy (Ronald Mah)
• Narrative Therapy (Michael White)
• Disaster/Crisis Training (Diane Myers)
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (Insoo Kim Berg)
• Dual Diagnosis (D. Smith, P. Forster)
• Brief Strategic Therapy (Terry Soo-Hoo; 1yr post-grad study)
• Child Abuse (Julie Robbins)
• Crisis Response (Wayne Griffin, Barbara Kendall)
• Ethics in Supervision & Administration in The Helping Professions (Hugh Clark)
• Improving Infant Outcomes in Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Department of Health)
• New Mental Health Consultation for Childcare Centers (NASW)
• Psychosis: Counseling the Hallucinating or Delusional Patient (St. Anthony Hospital)
• Nicotine Addiction (Donna Zanotti)
• Achieving Cultural Competence to Reduce Health Disparities in End of Life Care (NASW)
• Asperger's Syndrome (Mary Beth Logue)
• ADHD: Children to Adults (Louise Beckett)
• Hiding the Bruises: Domestic Violence (Gina Pazzaglia-Filkins)
• Trauma-Based Disorders: Stabilization Strategies (Laura Noll)
• OMI's Prevention & Relationship Enhancement Instructor Training (H. Markman, S. Stanley, N. Jenkins)