Julie Christianson, LICSW
Hi, I'm Julie Christianson!
About Me
I enjoy working with children and families to move forward through difficult times. I believe in the dignity of the human person and strive to help clients create balance and feel at peace in their lives by providing psychoeducation and a reflective space to allow clients a place to process their thoughts and feelings. With children, this is often done through play, as play is a child’s natural form of expression. It allows them to assign meaning and words to their experiences. I assist this through building a trusting relationship and by using narration, reflection, and asking questions to help the child gain insight regarding their experience.
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What is my background?
I have a Master’s degree in clinical social work from the School of Social Work at the University of St. Thomas and the College of St. Catherine with over 15 years of experience providing clinical and developmental services to clients. Through my years of experience, I’ve worked in a variety of settings, including a non-profit outpatient office, school systems, a shelter, a day treatment center, and in a private practice setting. I love working with kids, and I specialize in providing therapy and consultative services to young children and their families. My work is informed by Circle of Security International, where I’m a Registered Parent Educator who focuses on early intervention for security and attachment issues.
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Therapeutic Approach
Children give us clues that they need help through their behavior. This may look like withdrawal, irritability, worrying, impulsivity, distractibility, emotional outbursts, or acting-out behaviors. Throughout my work, I have found that it is important to build trusting relationships and create an atmosphere where clients feel engaged and comfortable. My focus is on understanding a client’s unique needs and circumstances and finding solutions within a collaborative relationship with my client. Therapeutic frameworks I utilize include attachment, developmental, and psychodynamic theories.
Areas of special focus
Anxiety, attachment, depression, trauma, selective mutism, ADHD, sensory integration issues, emotional self-regulation, and behavioral self-regulation in young children.
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Many people have difficulty adjusting to life changes. I provide therapeutic assistance to children through life changes, such as starting school, the birth of a sibling, moving, grief and loss, or separation from a significant caregiver.
Services & Fees
Services:
I offer individual and family therapy, as well as shorter term developmental consultations and school observations. I strongly recommend regular parents-only sessions to allow us to further assist your child’s progress and growth. My areas of specialty are listed above.
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Fees:
I am a fee-for-service provider, which means I do not accept insurance. You may be reimbursed by your insurance company for my services if you choose to request “out-of-network” reimbursement. Please verify the specific requirements for reimbursement with your insurance provider, and I will be happy to provide you with the appropriate receipt, billing codes, and diagnosis needed (insurance will not reimburse if there is no diagnosis).
Payment is due at time of service and I accept cash, check, or credit card payments, including Health Savings Account (HSA) and Flexible Savings Account (FSA) cards.
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My hourly rate is $175/hour.
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