Val is the author of 400 Friends and No One to Call: Breaking Through Isolation and Building Community, released in March, 2020. Her first book, The Art of Comforting (Penguin/Random House, 2010), won the Nautilus Book award in 2011 and was recommended by the Boston Public Health Commission as a guide for families impacted by the Boston Marathon Bombing.
She is a contributing blogger for Psychology Today and the Health Story Collaborative. Her topics include comforting people in distress, breaking through isolation, and building social support after loss. Val received her MS in rehabilitation counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a rehabilitation consultant, speaker and educator. Her articles and Q&As have appeared in AARP, Caregiver Space, Babyboomer.com, Caregiver Solutions, Time, Good Housekeeping, Coping with Cancer, Boston Globe Magazine, Belief Net, Marie Claire, and Sweety High. Keep up with Val at www.ValWalkerAuthor.com
