Jonathan Julian

Hello! I am a queer artist, activist and therapist. I believe deeply in healing, and my practice as a therapist is one way I use my own healing journey to inform and create space for others to explore theirs. Therapy with me will focus on continuing a journey of self-awareness by engaging deeply with emotions and empathy, tending to natural defenses like anxiety, depression, isolation, anger, disconnection and external coping strategies, exploring and containing trauma, staying healthy while navigating oppressive structures and systems, and loosening innate creativity to find your most authentic self and relationships.

WHO I WORK WITH: Queer, Trans*, Non-Binary and LGBTQIA+ Identified Individuals and Relationships :: Queer and Trans* Children and Youth and their Families :: Artists :: Healers :: Activists/Organizers :: Love, Consent, Boundaries and Relationships :: Sexuality :: Kink :: Spirituality :: Gender Identity Development :: Relationships within Difference :: Survivors of Sexual Violence :: Historical and Intergenerational Trauma :: Interpersonal Violence :: PTSD :: Anxiety and Depression :: Transitions, Adjustments, Change and Acceptance :: Systemic and Institutional Oppression :: Grief and Loss :: Family Building :: Isolation and Community Engagement :: White Ethnic Identity :: White Dominance, Fragility, Guilt and Allyship :: Bipolar, Narcissism and Other Personality Disorders :: Connection to Community Resources :: Self- and Community-Care

HOW I WORK: Before becoming a therapist I was a visual and performing artist – illustrator, singer, musician, and dancer. I have used these mediums in my own process of healing, and offer exploration with many forms of creative arts to find deeper connection to self and empower expression. Art can be a powerful way to access difficult content through metaphor and externalizations of internalized pain. It can also be a joyful way to celebrate and honor growth and boundaries, and connect to community. I have practice using visual art, music, drama, poetry, writing, and dance in therapy. Using the arts in therapy has the potential to strengthen coping, bolster resilience and give voice to oppressed parts of ourselves.

Other modalities and philosophies I use include: Liberation Psychology :: Queer Black feminism :: Queer, Trans* & Gender affirmative psychology :: LGBTQIA+ community-based :: Narrative Therapy :: Person-centered :: Intersectionality :: Transformative/Restorative Justice :: Trauma-conscious/informed :: Healing-centered :: Relational-Cultural Therapy :: Culture-curious :: Somatic Awareness :: Harm Reduction :: Guided Meditation :: Mindfulness

WHO I AM: I identify as Queer, non-binary, femme male, same gender loving, they/them pronouns, White-European, Scots-Irish descended, Midwestern raised and spiritual/ancestral. As such, I seek to center my work on empowering and supporting people in the LGBTQIA+ community. Whether directly or indirectly through my practice, I also work to uplift and center the empowerment of queer, trans*, black, indigenous and people of color (QTBIPOC); immigrants; sex workers; folx with different physical and neurological abilities; survivors of abuse; folx who have been impacted by or are currently experiencing economic oppression, homelessness, foster care system, prison system, legal system, police brutality, education system, community violence, intimate partner violence, etc.