Julia Walker-Sandoval

I am a licensed professional counselor with broad experience in assorted counseling techniques, such as Individual, group, couples, and family therapy. Seven years as a counselor have presented sundry opportunities to help individuals, especially survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. As a psychotherapist, I have guided numerous individuals to cope with grief, trauma, relationship conflict, low self-esteem, the effects of mood disorders and life’s stress. Service in non-profit, public mental health, and private practice sectors has empowered me with a skill-set to formulate effective counseling strategies to address most challenges facing clients. Countless clients and I have worked together to confront emotional discord such as depression, anxiety, familial conflict, anger, and major life changes resulting in adjustment issues. Most recently, I have served in a mental health clinic. This phase of my career has presented extensive opportunities to assist individuals and families from diverse demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds struggling with wide-ranging mental health disorders. In addition, becoming a new mother in the past year has further broadened my perspective and imbued deeper empathy regarding trauma that can impact individual development, especially during early childhood. My counseling strategy is steadfastly client-centered and humanistic. Together, a client and I cultivate a strong connection based on open and honest dialogue. Therapeutic modalities are engaged and tailored to fit a client’s needs at all times. Your participation may involve various professional evidence-based practices such as cognitive-therapy, psychodynamic concepts, motivational interviewing, trauma-focused intervention, and dialectical behavior therapy informed techniques. My profession is a life’s passion which compels me to provide unfaltering support and care to my clients. Every step in my practice is handled ethically with trust, respect, competence, and care. You will be empowered to achieve goals, dreams, and plans for the future as mutual understanding in the client-therapist relationship grows. Therapy requires courage to embrace, understand, and confront life’s difficulties. However, you will be rewarded as challenges are overcome. I will be here to guide and support you along the way. Looking forward to this journey with you! Education: Licensed within the state of South Carolina Master of Mental Health Counseling: Webster University Greenville, SC Metropolitan Campus Bachelors of Psychology: Converse College Spartanburg, SC Associate in Art: Spartanburg Technical College, Spartanburg, SC More about my background: My journey serving others began when I worked as an advocate and certified victim service provider. Wide-ranging experience in that capacity laid the foundation for me to become the psychotherapist I am today. In fact, the lessons of working as an advocate have been key factors to my becoming an effective therapist. Similarly, the work as a therapist has improved my skills as an effective advocate for my clients. The two disciplines are inherently connected. Unfortunately, as I learned while working in advocacy, my home state of South Carolina ranks in the top five nationally of deadly intimate partner violence. That reality led to frequent work with individual and family survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Serving those victims honed my abilities to engage clients about trauma and grief, to develop safety plans tailored to their unique circumstances, and to manage high level crises. I assisted clients with court hearings, orders of protection, job searches, resume building, group and individual therapy, and other matters. Over the past eight years, countless interactions with hundreds of clients have heightened my sense of discernment to design individualized treatment plans to match each client’s unique circumstances. Care, love, and passion for my profession translate to an earnest drive and desire to help anyone who wants to help him or herself. When a client exhibits the courage to change and to move out of a comfort zone, I reciprocate by honoring his or her commitment with dedication and hard work. A client will find my unyielding support if he or she is willing to take that leap of faith and trust me. The central focus of my career has been to help, serve, and be an advocate for others. I will be an advocate for you as much as you will be for yourself!