Julianne Kivlin

Hi, I’m Julie, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing virtual therapy to adults in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Hi, I’m Julianne, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker providing virtual therapy to adults in Connecticut and Massachusetts. I earned my Master of Social Work from the University of Saint Joseph and have experience working in outpatient, inpatient, intensive outpatient, emergency, and medical settings.

I specialize in working with adults experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, relationship and attachment concerns, life transitions, and LGBTQIA+ issues. I especially enjoy helping people better understand the patterns that keep showing up in their lives and relationships, strengthen their sense of self, and develop healthier ways of coping and connecting with others.

My style is warm, down-to-earth, affirming, and collaborative. I believe a strong therapeutic relationship matters just as much as the techniques we use, and I want therapy to feel like a space where you can be honest, feel understood, and work toward meaningful change without judgment.

You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. We can start wherever you are and work together from there.

My approach to therapy is warm, collaborative, practical, and highly individualized. I believe therapy should feel like a real conversation, not like you’re being analyzed from across the room. I’m engaged and active in sessions, and I work with clients to understand not only what they’re feeling, but also the patterns, relationships, experiences, and beliefs that may be contributing to where they feel stuck.

I draw from CBT, motivational interviewing, solution-focused therapy, relational therapy, strengths-based work, psychoeducation, and mindfulness-based strategies, tailoring the approach to each person rather than using the same formula for everyone. I often work with concerns related to anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment and relationship patterns, identity, life transitions, and LGBTQIA+ issues.

I also value helping clients leave therapy with something useful. That may mean developing coping strategies, learning how to challenge unhelpful thought patterns, improving boundaries and communication, identifying recurring relationship dynamics, or simply gaining a clearer understanding of themselves. My goal is to create a space that feels supportive, affirming, and honest, while still helping you move toward meaningful change.

Clients can expect the first session to feel welcoming, conversational, and low-pressure. I’ll spend time getting to know you, what brought you to therapy, what has and hasn’t been helpful in the past, and what you’d like to be different moving forward. You do not need to arrive with a perfectly organized story or clearly defined goals.

We’ll talk about the concerns affecting you most right now, your history and relationships where relevant, your strengths, coping patterns, and what you hope to get out of therapy. I’ll also explain how I work so you can get a sense of whether my style feels like a good fit.

By the end of the first few sessions, we’ll usually have a clearer understanding of the patterns we want to focus on and some practical goals for treatment. My goal is to create an environment that feels safe, affirming, collaborative, and honest, where you can be yourself while also making meaningful progress.