Meet Valerie
Valerie Flanigan is a licensed social worker, author, and passionate advocate for victims and survivors of domestic violence. A Trauma-Informed Certified professional, Valerie began her career answering calls on a crisis hotline—an experience that ignited her lifelong commitment to empowering those affected by abuse.
Over the years, she has developed and implemented violence response programs for courts, correctional facilities, and community organizations. Valerie has trained law enforcement, faith leaders, and counseling agencies on the dynamics of abuse, always centering survivor voices and promoting empathy-driven, trauma-informed responses.
In her current role as a trainer with a treatment foster care agency, Valerie helps families and professionals understand the complex effects of trauma on children. Her work emphasizes practical, compassionate approaches to healing and improving everyday responses to trauma—ensuring that every interaction can become an opportunity for recovery, resilience, and hope.
“I serve because I’ve spent over 30 years working with survivors of trauma, and one thing I’ve seen time and time again is how trauma can lock people, especially kids, into survival mode. It creates a kind of concrete thinking that’s focused on just getting through the day, leaving very little room for creativity, joy, or self-expression. That’s why I’m so inspired by the mission of this music school. Music has a way of gently opening up space in the brain and heart, allowing healing, imagination, and resilience to begin flowing again. I’d love to be part of a place where kids not only feel safe, but are also given the tools to move beyond survival and start dreaming, creating, and growing into who they’re meant to be.”
Valerie Flanigan
CHAIR OF TRAUMA-INFORMED DEVELOPMENT