About Julie
Julie Rathbun is a licensed clinical social worker who brings two decades of behavioral health experience to her practice. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, grief, depression, and major life changes. She also supports LGBT clients and addresses relationship concerns in straightforward, practical ways.
Julie uses clear, plain language in sessions. She helps clients name problems, set small goals, and practice skills that fit daily life. Conversations can include working through attachment and abandonment worries, handling communication problems, or coping with caregiver stress.
Background and approach
Her background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Science and a Master of Social Work from Arizona State University. Julie holds an Arizona LCSW credential (LCSW-12082) and has worked in behavioral health for over 20 years. She lives in Tucson and draws on long experience with local community needs.
Sessions often focus on concrete steps people can use right away. That might mean building coping skills for anxiety, creating plans around grief, or addressing body image and eating concerns. She also talks with people about alternative sexuality topics like BDSM and kink when relevant to their goals.
Julie aims to help people find more contentment and self-acceptance. She encourages steady progress rather than overnight change. The work is collaborative and paced to each person's needs.
Evidence-based approaches adapted for online care
Julie commonly uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on skill building and real-life coping. One approach emphasizes practical skills for anxiety and depression, helping people learn breathing, grounding, and thought-challenging strategies that reduce daily distress. Another approach addresses relationship and attachment concerns by looking at patterns of interaction and teaching clearer communication and boundary skills.Finding the right approach is part of the work together. The therapist will discuss different methods in early sessions and tailor the plan to each person's goals, needs, and preferences. This collaboration helps decide whether to focus on mood management, grief processing, or relationship skills first.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which make it easier to fit therapy into a busy life. Video sessions allow face-to-face conversation when tone and facial expressions matter. Phone sessions need less bandwidth and can be a good option for those who prefer not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging suit quick check-ins, ongoing tracking of progress, or people who express themselves more easily in writing.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Eating and food-related issues
- Family of origin issues
- Forgiveness
- Guilt and shame
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- LGBT
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Experience
- 20 years
- Licensed
- Arizona
- Languages
- English