About Julie
Julie Ekman uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help people handle stress, anxiety, and major life transitions. She is a licensed clinical social worker and brings a calm, practical style to sessions. Julie writes plainly and works to make therapy feel direct and useful.
Julie has 29 years of experience in social work and holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Denver and a Master of Arts in School Leadership from Concordia University.
How Julie works
Much of her career was spent as a school social worker, with 26 years working with middle school students, and she has also worked as a family therapist. This background shapes a down-to-earth approach to common life problems. She emphasizes strengths-based and solution-focused methods alongside cognitive behavioral techniques.
In practice that means noticing what already works, building on practical steps, and testing small changes between sessions. Julie helps people set clear goals and track progress over time. Common concerns she supports include stress, anxiety, family conflict, self-esteem and career issues.
She also works with people facing chronic pain, illness, disability, communication problems, control issues, divorce and separation, and feelings of guilt or shame. Julie aims to help people regain direction and daily functioning. Sessions are offered in English from Illinois.
Julie approaches care with respect, sensitivity, and compassion. She encourages people to take the first step and will work collaboratively on a plan suited to each person's situation.
What Julie works with
The areas below are the ones Julie selected when setting up a profile. The first few are listed as the main focus; the rest are also named.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Family conflicts
- Self esteem
Also listed
- Career difficulties
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Divorce and separation
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Self-love
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
Training and background
| Register | LCSW |
|---|---|
| Years in practice | 29 |
| Languages | English |
| Session format | Online: video, phone, live chat or messaging |
| Country | Illinois |
Memberships and registers are shown as supplied; they are not licences, and this directory does not verify them.
Online support options
How evidence-based techniques translate to online therapy
Julie commonly uses strengths-based work, which focuses on identifying what a person already does well and building on those abilities to solve current problems. This approach helps with motivation, self-esteem, and practical steps to handle stress and family conflict.She also uses cognitive behavioral techniques that look at unhelpful thinking and test small behavioral changes. Those methods are useful for anxiety, panic symptoms, social worry, and improving daily routines.
Finding the right mix of approaches is a collaborative process. Julie will work with each person to pick methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences, and she will adjust the plan as progress is tracked.
Online therapy offers flexibility in how sessions happen. Video calls let people use face-to-face interaction when helpful, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, and live chat or text-based messaging can support quick check-ins or ongoing reflection between appointments. These options make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life and to keep momentum between sessions.
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Common questions
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A practical next step
Write down two things you would want to be different in six months. That is the most useful thing to bring to a first session, whoever it is with. If you would rather start now than keep reading, online sessions are the quickest route.
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