Julia Ward

Perhaps you find that this season of your life is providing new and difficult challenges, or maybe a loss has taken you by surprise. Maybe you have found that the coping strategies you have built over the years are no longer serving you well and you want to learn new skills. I am prepared to meet with you to help you sort through your thoughts and feelings and help you learn new strategies to heal and cope in your day to day life.

I am currently a Resident in Counseling at Sunstone Counseling. I completed my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Marymount University. My outlook on life is a positive one, with empathy for those going through life’s ups and downs.

In addition to seeing clients on an individual basis, I also work with clients in a group and workshop setting. I run an 8-week Divorce and Separation Support Group for Women, which provides group members with the support of other women going through a similar life circumstances. I also run a 12-hour workshop for new or expecting parents, called Bringing Baby Home. I am a Bringing Baby Home Gottman Educator. The goal of this program, created by The Gottman Institute, is to improve the quality of life for babies and children by strengthening the parental relationship.

My training at Marymount shaped me into an effective counselor, using approaches that utilize a combination of techniques from Person-Centered Therapy, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I have worked with clients who are anxious, depressed, experiencing life changes, processing past trauma, stressed, and who are processing current or past losses and grief. I work collaboratively with clients who are motivated, engaged in the counseling experience, and who want to explore themselves to find greater life satisfaction and happiness. I practice under the supervision of Amy Clay, NCC, LPC. I am a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and I am a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC).

Prior to entering the counseling field, I spent 9 years in corporate America as a marketing professional. I worked for a for-profit organization for 6 years and have worked for a nonprofit organization for 3 years. I completely understand the pressures of full time work, especially in this area where everyone has a lot going on outside of work too!