About
Dr. Jessee Valentine, DO, FAPA
Double board-certified psychiatrist. Specializing in trauma, OCD, and anxiety, with additional areas of focus in depression and in life transitions and personal identity. For adults and adolescents 14 and older.
Who I Am
I am a double board-certified psychiatrist in adult psychiatry and in child and adolescent psychiatry. I began my psychiatry residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and completed it at Yale University, where I also completed my fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry.
I combine medication management and psychotherapy in the same appointment. As a physician, I take a whole-person approach, addressing the biological, psychological, developmental, and social aspects of what you’re experiencing. That includes sleep, physical health, lifestyle, and medication, as well as relationships, early experiences, and the beliefs and patterns that shape how you think and feel.
My approach focuses both on carefully treating symptoms and on understanding where they come from. I believe meaningful change often occurs when people are given the space to explore their inner world with curiosity, honesty, and support.
In our work together, my goal is to create a nonjudgmental and supportive space where you can gain clarity, develop resilience, and move toward a more integrated and meaningful life.
I am particularly interested in where mental health meets personal growth, and in the questions that come up as people reflect on their identity, values, and direction in life.
Outside of my clinical work, I am grateful to share my life with my two wonderful children, two amazing cats, and a loving and supportive family. I enjoy teaching, reading, cooking, creative projects, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.
Education and Training
- Medical school. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton, FL. Training emphasized integrative care and strong therapeutic relationships.
- Residency. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, completed at Yale University. A leader in biological psychiatry, with comprehensive training across psychiatric settings.
- Fellowship. Yale University School of Medicine. Child and adolescent psychiatry at the internationally recognized Yale Child Study Center, providing deep insight into human development at every stage.
- Certification. Board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in psychiatry and in child and adolescent psychiatry. Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (FAPA).
- Licensure. Licensed to practice medicine in Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts, and California.
Why Developmental Training Matters for Adults
Training in child and adolescent psychiatry gives me a developmental perspective on human behavior. I look at adult concerns not only in terms of current symptoms, but in the context of the experiences, relationships, and transitions that came before them.
A developmental approach considers how patterns of thinking, feeling, and relating take shape and change across a lifetime. That often shows where a present difficulty started, and it supports a more complete approach to treatment.
Professional Experience
I have worked across a wide range of psychiatric settings, including outpatient clinics, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, specialty psychiatry clinics, county mental health centers serving underserved populations, and an urgent-care mental health setting. I have also provided psychiatric consultation in hospitals, emergency departments, and schools.
I have mentored early-career psychiatrists and supervised physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and therapists.
Teaching, Honors, and Scholarship
Teaching has always been part of my work, and I enjoy providing education to my patients.
Teaching
- Taught a core child and adolescent psychiatry course to third-year medical students at Yale School of Medicine.
- Served on the Medical Student Education Committee at Yale School of Medicine and mentored medical students in psychiatric interviewing and clinical writing.
Honors
- Outstanding Medical Student Education Award, Yale School of Medicine.
- Humanism and Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Chosen for humanity, excellence in teaching, and leadership.
- Press Ganey recognition for patient care in the Adult Psychiatry Clinic, University of Iowa.
- Member, Gold Humanism Honor Society.
Research
- Peer-reviewed research on how parental care supports, and parental overprotection hinders, adjustment to college, published in the Journal of College Student Retention and presented at the American Psychological Association annual meeting.
Professional Memberships
American Psychiatric Association (Fellow), American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Osteopathic Association.
What Shaped My Perspective
My perspective has also been shaped by my own experience of grief, loss, major life transitions, health challenges, and periods of uncertainty about who I am and where I belong. Those experiences gave me a deeper understanding of myself and what needed to change in order to live a more authentic and fulfilling life. They also strengthened my belief that meaningful change usually begins with feeling seen and heard, and that even the most difficult chapters can, over time, become a source of clarity, resilience, and a truer sense of who you are.
Therapeutic Approach
I look at mental health through a whole-person lens: biology, psychology, development, relationships, and spirituality all play a part. Healing often goes beyond managing symptoms; it involves bringing mind, body, and personal purpose into alignment. My practice combines conventional medical expertise with mindfulness-based approaches and lifestyle guidance to support people navigating trauma, OCD, and major life transitions.
I provide evidence-based medication management, and I build psychotherapy into treatment. I draw on several modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (ERP), somatic approaches, mindfulness, and insight-oriented, depth-oriented therapy.
Before medicine I worked as a certified personal trainer, which is part of why sleep, movement, and daily routine get real attention in treatment rather than a passing mention.
I also consider the role of personal values, meaning, and spiritual perspectives, and tailor care to your needs and goals. I practice nonjudgment and active listening so that you feel seen, heard, and understood.
How I Think About Change
Much of my work rests on a simple observation. What you believe shapes what you perceive. What you perceive shapes your thoughts, your thoughts shape your emotions, and your emotions shape what you do. Over time, what you do becomes who you take yourself to be, and that becomes your life. It also runs the other way: acting differently changes what you believe.
Many of those beliefs were inherited long before you could evaluate them. For many people the work begins when that inherited version of themselves starts to unravel, and it includes recovering the parts of themselves they had to set aside. There are no bad parts. Every one of them played a role in shaping you, teaching you, or protecting you, and every one is honored rather than discarded. Treatment is a chance to see them, understand where they came from and what they did for you, and bring them together into a whole from which you can choose how to live.
How I Show Up
I strive to be genuine, compassionate, and nonjudgmental in my work with patients. Nothing someone shares about their past or present changes how I feel about them as a person. I understand that life can be deeply challenging, and that people's choices and behaviors often reflect what felt necessary or possible at the time.
My goal is to create a space where patients feel safe speaking openly about their experiences, knowing they will be met with curiosity, understanding, and respect. I believe meaningful change often begins when people feel truly understood rather than judged.
Compassionate Presence
Whatever shaped you, you will be met here with respect and without judgment. Every part of you is welcome, including the parts you have learned to hide.
Guide, Not Director
I offer clear, honest perspectives based on my experience. Your life is yours, and so is the decision about who you become.
Mind, Body, and Spirit
I believe healing involves the integration of mind, body, and spirit. Emotional health is closely connected with physical health, relationships, personal values, and a sense of purpose and meaning. Spirituality is part of your care only if you want it to be, and always on your terms, whatever you believe or don’t believe.
How I Approach Care
Collaborative and Evidence-Based
Care decisions are made together. I use established psychiatric and psychotherapeutic approaches, guided by current evidence and by your goals and preferences.
Integrated Care
I combine medication management and psychotherapy in extended appointments to treat your symptoms and understand the patterns beneath them. If you have a therapist, I work alongside them.
The Self Is Always Evolving
It is not a fixed place to arrive but a lifelong process of becoming: discovering, integrating, and expressing the parts of yourself that feel most genuine as you continue to grow and change.
Credentials and affiliations
Insight. Integration. Individuation.
Ready to Begin?
A safe, caring, and nonjudgmental space where you are invited to let go and simply be.