Julie Barzal, LICSW, LISW

Julie Barzal is a licensed social worker who brings a compassionate, strengths-based approach to counseling for adolescents and adults. With experience addressing a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, depression, anger, low self-esteem, grief, blended family dynamics, substance use disorders, trauma and abuse, relationship and intimacy issues, parenting and career transitions, she supports clients through practical strategies and empathic collaboration. She works with LGBTQ clients and offers guidance around caregiving, chronic illness, addiction, and other co-occurring challenges.

Julie uses a variety of therapeutic methods to tailor care to each person’s needs, drawing on approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, and elements of the Gottman Method. She also applies solution-focused techniques, motivational interviewing, and problem-solving skills when appropriate. Her practice includes direct counseling, telehealth sessions, crisis intervention, and case management for both adolescents and adults, and she has experience diagnosing mental health disorders and supporting family systems affected by substance use.

She holds LICSW and LISW credentials - LICSW stands for Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and LISW stands for Licensed Independent Social Worker - and brings empathy, active listening, cultural humility, and advocacy to her work. Julie emphasizes meeting clients where they are and fostering insight, resilience, and practical progress. She is left-handed but ambidextrous, became a mother as a teenager, and pursued college later in life, earning both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree after beginning her higher education at age 40.