Close-up of natural wood grain rings forming a textured, concentric pattern.
Close-up of natural wood grain rings forming a textured, concentric pattern.
Valerie Lorig

News & Updates

Valerie Lorig, LPC

Instructor

BA Psychology

EDUCATION:

MEd, Counseling; BA, Transpersonal Psychology

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS:

COURSES TAUGHT:

The Psychology of Mindfulness Meditation; Learning From Trauma: Understanding its Effects and Building Personal Resources; Hakomi Somatics; Awakening Compassion; Transpersonal Psychology; Senior Seminar 1; Senior Seminar 2; Career: Field Placement

Valerie Lorig, MEd, LPC, has been a Faculty Instructor in the BA Psychology Program since 2008 and has developed a number of course curriculum for the program. A Licensed Professional Counselor, she is trained in Hakomi Somatic Therapy, Brainspotting, EMDR, PACT Couples Therapy, trauma therapy, and contemplative mindfulness-based methods. Working with individuals and couples at her psychotherapy practice, Auspicious Coincidence Counseling, her work informs the courses that she teaches. A meditation practitioner and student of Buddhism for many years, she attended the Naropa Institute as a young seeker and studied with the founder, Trungpa Rinpoche. She has lead retreats and meditation programs throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and India. As the former art director for Silverwave Records, a Native American Record Label, her work with Native artists garnered awards and Grammys. Starting as a young designer at Rolling Stone Magazine in New York City, she eventually moved to Colorado and made Boulder her home where she raised three beautiful grown children.

PUBLICATIONS:

  • What is Trauma?
  • Attachment Theory, Attunement, Co-Regualtion, Window of Tolerance
  • ACEs Adverse Childhood Experiences; Trauma and Public Health
  • Self-Care, Healing Principles of Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness
  • Trauma and the Brain
  • Intergenerational Trauma
  • Post Traumatic Growth
  • Somatic Experiencing Hakomi Character Strategies
  • Contact and Tracking in Hakomi
  • Brainspotting: A Brief Overview

YOU ARE READY.

This is where experiential learning meets academic rigor. Where you challenge your intellect and uncover your potential. Where you discover the work you’re moved to do—then use it to transform our world.

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About Naropa

Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion. 

Academics

Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.  

Admissions & Aid

If you’re seeking an education that resonates with both personal fulfillment and global impact, Naropa could be your top choice. At Naropa, you will experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational approaches. Explore how Naropa can fuel your journey of intellectual and spiritual development.

Life at Naropa

Through its incredibly vibrant and welcoming community,  “Naropa offers a home for those who aren’t willing to conform to convention—the mystic, the healer, the prophet, the rebel, the artist, the revolutionary, the oddball—those who are incredible contributors to the evolution of society and of our planet.”—Core Associate Professor Zvi Ish-Shalom

The Naropa Difference

How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person. 

Support Naropa

At a time when the value of higher education is being questioned, Naropa University stands firmly rooted in its mission to create a more just and regenerative world by nurturing insight, awareness, courage, and compassion in its students. By making a gift to Naropa, you play a pivotal role in helping to create the authentic, effective & mindful leaders that the world desperately needs.

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Naropa University campuses are closed on 12/17/2025. 

Due to adverse weather conditions of high winds and planned power outages, all Naropa campuses will be closed today. 

 

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Spring and Summer Start Dates for the MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling Concentrations

In support of students and in response to federal legislation impacting financial aid for graduate students, Naropa University will be accepting applications for MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling for spring starts through January 10.

Graduate School of Counseling concentrations listed below will be offering online and low-residency courses to start their programs in January 2026 as well as our Summer 2026 terms.

Beginning a graduate program in Spring 2026 or Summer 2026 means that you will have access to apply for Graduate Plus loans as these loans will be eliminated at the federal level starting in Fall 2026.

Contact Admissions (admissions@naropa.edu) today to learn how you can begin the next step in your graduate education journey.