Some children have anxiety that has outgrown every strategy the family has tried. Some have behaviors that do not respond to anything, rewards, consequences, gentle approaches, or firm ones. Some parents have a feeling something is wrong, but no one has been able to name it yet.
Dr. Nizete-Ly Valles built her career to serve exactly that family. She helps parents understand what is actually going on and what to do next, so they can move forward with clarity and confidence.
Dr. Nizete-Ly Valles is a licensed clinical psychologist and Director of Psychological Testing Services at Thriving Child Center. She specializes in working with children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, autism, trauma, and complex diagnostic questions, providing both therapy and comprehensive psychological evaluation in English and Spanish.
Dr. Valles specializes in helping children with complex or unclear presentations, particularly when previous approaches have not worked or when families are still searching for answers.
She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and has published peer reviewed research on child development, trauma, and mental health.
For families who have been passed between a therapist who can treat but not test and an evaluator who can test but not treat, Dr. Valles offers both. She is known for providing both therapy and comprehensive psychological evaluation, allowing families to get clear answers and begin the right treatment without being passed between multiple providers.
She provides therapy and comprehensive psychological evaluations for children, adolescents, and adults. Her therapy work focuses on anxiety, OCD and related disorders, selective mutism, trauma, autism spectrum disorder, mood challenges, and disruptive behavior.
Her evaluation work includes autism, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, and diagnostic clarification across the lifespan.
Many of the families Dr. Valles works with have been trying to figure this out for a long time. Part of her role is helping parents feel confident that they finally understand what is happening and what to do next.
Dr. Valles is a certified PCIT Within Agency Trainer with specialized training in PCIT for autism, PCIT for anxiety, and PCIT for selective mutism. She is one of a small number of clinicians in the country certified in all three adaptations.
She has graduated more than 50 families through the full PCIT protocol and provides PCIT via telehealth in both English and Spanish across PSYPACT participating states.
Dr. Valles holds the International OCD Foundation’s ERP certification, a credential used by OCD specialists and referring providers to verify that a clinician is specifically trained to deliver evidence based treatment for OCD.
Dr. Valles has published research on parenting patterns and childhood aggression, trauma in vulnerable populations, and adolescent mental health. Her work has appeared in journals including the Journal of Family Psychology, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, and Aggressive Behavior.
She previously served as Program Director of the Autism Clinic at Harris Health System, where she built the psychological evaluation program from the ground up and provided testing for children and adults across a large public health network.
As Director of Psychological Testing Services at Thriving Child Center, she designs and oversees the assessment batteries used across the practice. Every evaluation is built on evidence based measures and structured to answer the questions that matter most to parents and schools.
“I work with children and adolescents who are struggling to understand themselves, their emotions, and their reactions to the world around them. Many of the families I work with feel worried about their child’s mood, anxiety, behavior, or past experiences and are looking for thoughtful guidance that helps their child move forward.”
“My approach focuses on helping children and teens recognize their strengths and learn how to make choices that align with what truly matters to them.”
Dr. Valles works closely with families to ensure care feels collaborative, respectful, and supportive. She helps children and teens better understand themselves while guiding parents in how to support meaningful, lasting change.
Dr. Valles earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa, where her research focused on how parenting patterns shape childhood aggression. She completed her predoctoral internship at Children’s Institute, Inc., an APA approved program serving families affected by trauma, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine.
She grew up in Houston and earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Houston.
She currently teaches and trains psychiatry residents and psychology fellows through her role as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Nizete-Ly Valles has published peer reviewed research on child development, trauma, parenting, and adolescent mental health. Her work reflects a deep focus on understanding how early experiences shape emotional and behavioral outcomes.
NIZETE-LY VALLES IS A LICENSED PSYCHOLOGIST WITH THE TEXAS STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS (TX LICENSE #36932).
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