Meet Valérie Le Cann Jones

Marriage and Family Therapist

Connecticut, New York and world-wide

For over a decade, I have supported couples, families, and individuals through seasons of change—helping you slow reactive cycles, reconnect with what matters, and communicate with more steadiness and care.

My background includes leadership and clinical roles in community and residential settings: Program Director at Center for Discovery supporting adolescents in recovery, Clinical Supervisor at LifeBridge Community Services serving a diverse population, Survivor Care Navigator for the town of Newtown walking alongside families after traumatic loss, and Clinician at Liberation Programs.

I specialize in relationship issues and women's health, with particular experience supporting patients facing breast cancer and genetic testing decisions, and families navigating fertility challenges. In our work, your story and pace set the tone—we focus on safety, clarity, and practical skills you can use between sessions.

I am EMDR-trained and draw on attachment-based and trauma-informed approaches. I bring a warm, collaborative style—structured but flexible—with clear goals, regular check-ins, and room to revise as your needs evolve. Whether you are rebuilding trust, navigating a transition, or strengthening your partnership, we will build a workable path—one conversation at a time.

I have a keen understanding of the expat experience. I have lived overseas and understand the unique challenges of the expat community.

Valérie Le Cann Jones is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a BS in psychology from Union College and an MA in marriage and family therapy from Fairfield University. Trained as a structural/strategic family therapist, Valérie conceptualizes cases with a systemic lens.

Her previous clinical roles include serving as Program Director with Center for Discovery, a residential program for adolescents suffering from eating disorders, Clinical Supervisor with LifeBridge Community Services, working with a diverse population experiencing mental health challenges, Survivor Care Navigator for the town of Newtown, working with families of children who survived the tragic shooting in Sandy Hook, and finally, Clinician at Liberation Programs, working with a population in recovery from opiate addiction. Valérie was raised by French parents in the US until age 13 before moving to France to live there until returning to the US for college. Valérie has both experienced and witnessed the devastating results of trauma both in her family of origin and as a community member of Sandy Hook. She views trauma through a systemic lens and understands the importance of working with the entire family when focusing on resiliency and trauma recovery. Currently, Valérie lives in Connecticut with her husband of over 20 years and their twin daughters who will be attending university overseas.

My Approach

My approach combines the works of classic Structural and Strategic greats such as Salvadore Minuchin, Jay Haley and Cloe Mandes.

Structural Family Therapy

The family's internal structure and organization, including subsystems (like parental, marital, and sibling) and the boundaries between them. To restructure the family system to correct imbalances, strengthen dysfunctional hierarchies, and clarify boundaries. Inspired by therapists like Salvador Minuchin, I actively participate in sessions to observe and map the family structure, then use enactments to help family members interact differently in the here-and-now.

Strategic Family Therapy

Identifying and changing specific, repetitive patterns of interaction that cause a problem, rather than a broad structural overhaul. This provides quick symptom relief by altering interactions and resolving specific, presenting problems using direct, sometimes directive, interventions and strategies to break dysfunctional cycles. This can include tasks given to family members to complete.

In my formal training I follow two mentors who have also significantly influenced my work.

Terrance Real

Terry Real, LICSW, is an internationally recognized family therapist, New York Times bestselling author, and sought-after speaker. A former senior faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge in Massachusetts and a retired Clinical Fellow of the Meadows Institute in Arizona, Terry is renowned for his ability to save couples on the brink of divorce using the progressive approach he created, Relational Life Therapy. RLT equips people with the powerful relational skills they need to cultivate meaningful connections—to themselves, each other, and the planet as a whole.

Esther Perel

Esther Perel is a Belgian-born psychotherapist, author, and organizational consultant known for her work on modern relationships.She has written best-selling books like Mating in Captivity and The State of Affairs, hosts the podcast Where Should We Begin?, and is a global speaker on topics such as infidelity, desire, and work-life balance. Her work draws on her expertise in family systems, couple therapy, and cross-cultural psychology.

Insurance

Aetna New York and Connecticut
Cigna New York and Connecticut
Out of Network
Anthem
ConnectiCare
Oxford (Optum) - New York and Connecticut
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (Formerly Empire) New York and Connecticut
HUSKY (Connecticut)
Quest Behavioral Health Connecticut
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Virtual Network)
Lyra
United Health Care - Connecticut and New York
BlueCross and BlueShield
Optum
UnitedHealthcare UHC | UBH
Carelon Behavioral Health New York and Connecticut
Oscar (Optum) New York and Connecticut