About

Valeriya Spektor, Ph.D. (she/her) is a licensed counseling psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania and is authorized to provide virtual therapy in 39* PSYPACT-participating states. She obtained her master’s degree in Counseling and Human Services and her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Lehigh University. Afterward, she completed her doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania's Counseling and Psychological Services. She worked as a staff psychologist at the center for multiple years and served on specialized teams for treatment of sexual trauma and eating concerns. She also gained clinical experience in an inpatient psychiatric hospital as well as a crisis response center in Wilkes Barre, PA during her doctoral training. Dr. Spektor has taught as an adjunct instructor at Temple University and has supervised therapists-in-training of various disciplines and levels of development. 

As a 1.5th generation immigrant from Ukraine, Dr. Spektor specializes in working with acculturation, identity exploration, and cultural value conflict. She enjoys working with immigrants and refugees of all identities and generational statuses and strives to approach clinical work with cultural humility and an understanding of the impact of societal injustices and systemic oppression on mental health. To that effect, she works to center antiracism and social justice in her work and is committed to co-creating healing relationships with folx of all identities, with attention to dynamics of power and privilege in the therapy relationship and the greater sociopolitical context. Dr. Spektor has full comprehension of the Russian language (her native tongue) but provides therapy primarily in English.

Dr. Spektor has extensive experience and specialized training in working with trauma, broadly defined as a psychological and nervous-system response to an experience of profound overwhelm. She is passionate about holding space for survivors of sexual trauma, developmental trauma, intergenerational and oppression-based trauma, among other experiences. To that effect, she reserves limited slots on her caseload for supporting sexual assault survivors and victims of crime through Pennsylvania's Victim's Compensation and Assistance Program.  Dr. Spektor also works well with eating concerns, grief and loss, depression, anxiety, relationship and family of origin concerns, workplace issues, and life transitions. She has a particular interest in supporting college and graduate students and young professionals. Finally, Dr. Spektor provides psychological immigration evaluations for asylum, VAWA, and hardship cases and is a pro-bono evaluator for the Philadelphia Human Rights Clinic and HIAS, Pennsylvania.