Yuridia (Valerie) Polonsky, LCSW

Yuridia (Valerie) Polonsky is a Florida licensed clinical social worker who draws on 15 years of experience to help people facing major life stressors. She focuses on practical steps people can use to manage anxiety, depression, stress, and changes that feel overwhelming. Sessions are offered in English and Spanish and aim to be straightforward and respectful.

She creates a calm, nonjudgmental space where clients can talk through past hurts and current struggles. Yuridia uses a mix of approaches to match what each person needs, such as helping someone notice unhelpful thoughts, name difficult emotions, or choose values-based actions. She also works with concerns that touch relationships, intimacy, grief, and parenting stress.

In sessions she prioritizes clear goals and simple tools people can use between meetings. That might include breathing or grounding techniques, short behavior experiments, or communication skills practice. The focus is on what helps day-to-day functioning and reduces overwhelm.

Her additional focuses include issues like attachment problems, codependency, caregiving stress, body image, and coping after loss or trauma. Yuridia pays attention to how life stage and cultural background shape a person’s needs and choices.

People who prefer practical, compassionate support and a collaborative working style may find her approach helpful. To begin, prospective clients complete a short matching questionnaire and schedule sessions based on the therapist’s availability.

How her approaches shape online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on helping people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose small actions that reflect their values. It can be useful for anxiety, depression, and making steady progress during life changes. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior and teaches practical strategies to change patterns that cause distress. It often helps with worry, low mood, and sleep problems. Attachment-Based Therapy pays attention to how early relationships affect current connections and can help with intimacy, abandonment fears, and communication problems.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Yuridia will collaborate with each person to try methods that fit their goals and day-to-day needs. She checks in about what is helping and adjusts tools so they feel useful and manageable.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm available session formats before booking so you know what options exist. Online work can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy week, reduce travel time, allow shorter check-ins during a lunch break, or avoid being on camera when that is not needed. Licensed professionals can still teach skills, practice conversations, and support coping through remote sessions, and the therapist will discuss practical scheduling and format details as part of the intake process.