About

Here is a little more in depth information about my history and the work I am currently doing

I went to school in Chicago at Adler University to start my counseling education. Adler is a school that prioritizes social justice in all aspects of learning. Continuing to learn and understand what issues are impacting our local community is very important in my work and my role in Grand Rapids.

I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings including school, homes, and within a group practice. I find that every different environment provides different ways to learn about ourselves. Creating a physical space to offer therapy that is calming and neutral and can hold whatever you would like to bring to your session is important to me. If you are reading this bio and considering working with me, please know that I prefer to do in person therapy and will not be taking on virtual clients at this time. Being in the same space together at the same time is part of the effectiveness of my work and I want to make sure I’m offering the very best I can to you.

After 7 years of working with clients and doing individual therapy, I still consider myself a student and know there is much more to learn than I will ever be able to learn, and, I do have several types of therapy I find to be most effective and utilize most frequently:

Motivational Interviewing
Dialectical Behavior Therapy
EMDR and Internal Family Systems

These are the areas that I am focusing my energy in learning and growing currently and I tend to blend them in individual counseling.

I consider one of my most important strengths to be in my use of language. I think language is so important and often so underdeveloped. It is our bridge to connecting with each other and often we are using words that do not express the true meaning of what we are trying to communicate. One of my main goals as a clinician is to help you find your words, the ones that actually help you say what you mean.

Qualifications

Years in Practice: 7 Years

License: Michigan LPC / 6401016631

School: Adler University - Master of Arts in Counseling with a specialization in Sport and Health Psychology

Year Graduated: 2016

Trainings

EMDR Basic training through the EMDR institute
3 advanced EMDR trainings (additional 25 hours of training) including training on: EMDR intensives, EMDR with Complex trauma/parts work, EMDR PRECI and EMDR ASSYST
Counselor Supervision Training (30 hours)

Endorsements

Julie Edwards

Limited Licensed Psychologist, LLP, LLPC

Client Focus

For anyone considering working with me please know, your pronouns are important to me, your background is important to me, your heritage and race and religious upbringing is all important to me.

One of the most important things for me is a clinician is that we are addressing the needs and goals of the client, that means that nobody else’s agenda is going to be prioritized. That also means that identifying those needs and goals will be the foundation of the work and what we go back to if we get lost and what we might change if movement is stunted. While there is not any prep work I would ask prior to a session, I would encourage any prospective clients to consider what they would like to accomplish in therapy.

Areas of Expertise

Trauma (childhood trauma, recent single event trauma, pregnancy and infertility trauma, chronic illness trauma, gaslighting, chronic abuse)
Life transitions
Parenting Issues
Depression
Anxiety
Suicidal Ideation

Treatment Approach

There are two different approaches to treatment based on what you are looking for: EMDR intensive treatment or weekly therapy

EMDR Intensive

If you are seeking an EMDR intensive session I will do a consultation to assess for appropriateness of therapy and determine an amount of time recommended for the session (3-8 hours generally)

Weekly Therapy

For weekly therapy I would also like to ensure I am a good fit for your needs and then we will determine goals for therapy and I can project a timeframe for treatment.

Methods

Motivational Interviewing

This is a client focused treatment modality that focuses on honoring and respecting the autonomy of the individual and working hard to gain insight and learn as much as possible about an individual without being assuming or judgmental. This type of therapy is evidence based and very intentional with goals and language use.

EMDR

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy. EMDR identifies some of the most difficult parts of a traumatic event and provides a very specific and structured way to help your brain heal from trauma.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

This type of therapy helps us to allow for the existence of both acceptance and change happening in the same moment and utilize skills for mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance and interpersonal effectiveness.

Internal Family Systems

IFS approaches how we think about and interact with ourselves in a way that considers that people have many different parts. Parts work can help unlock why we sometimes get in our own way and helps broaden our understanding and approach to stressors and trauma.