I am updating my profile and mentions on what I consider my skill set. I thought I would share with you, since you may choose to work with me.
I mention that I have experience with CBT. True and I have been moving away from that as a singular approach. CBT as a popular singular approach has bolstered the growing opinion in clinical psychology that no particular intervention is better than any other, and that the most important predictor of therapeutic success is the quality of the therapeutic relationship
I agree with that predictor.
I have found that the best combo within therapy is relational, narrative and somatic. Relational in that the basis of a successful therapeutic experience is dependent on a healthy, skillful and genuine relationship between the client and the therapist. A good match results in good therapy. The therapist must be rooted in principles, boundaries and have a relatable skill set. Compassion and a genuine interest in the client must be the primary motive for the therapist. And the client must feel a genuine connection with the therapist. Narrative in that through the client sharing of their story and experiences and practicing inquiry and attention they can heal and transform painful circumstances and negative habitual patterns. Narrative includes the stories and assumptions we tell ourselves, so those are also part of the inquiry. Somatic means the conversation and work is embodied. That the context always returns to and is understood through one's physical-emotional experiences. CBT can be a branch of all these, especially when it comes to inquiry practices. Again, all this relies on a genuine and authentic relationship between the client and therapist. A necessary vulnerability and receptivity to oneself and the other.
I have been engaging with people as a therapist for 40 years. And I am still as enthused and dedicated to this relationship. I continue to learn through my clients, as well as through attending various trainings and teachings. I am deeply grateful to work with you and believe that the therapeutic relationship can be a life-long benefit. (I always claim that my therapist saved my life. In truth, our relationship gave me the means to save myself).
I have recently taken more training in somatic experiencing, awareness and breath practices that help with personal insight and well-being. I look forward to exploring these with you. However, you lead the sessions not me; our conversation and explorations are determined by you and what you are wanting to experience.
I have researched and written about pain (trauma) stories, the transformative power of journaling, narrative therapies and cognitive-behavioral and somatic therapies as well as breathwork in the healing of pain stories for four decades. My books invite the reader to go on their own personal journey of awakening and healing, using the Wheel of Initiation, the Zero Point Agreement and, the Clue of the Red Thread. With a little good help from others, we have the inner resources to transform pain into antidotes and resistance into movement. I have practiced yoga throughout my life and consider myself a life-time yogi practitioner. I am trained in Vipassanna (mindfulness) meditation practices, somatic experiencing, trauma-informed yoga practices and other researched based practices of mind-training and emotional-body awareness. Trained also in narrative therapies, I trust the process of sharing and exploring our life stories. Also trained in Rational-emotive therapies and depth psychology, my wholistic and engaged presence allows you to find your own path of healing and transformation. This is essential to my way of meeting my clients; I have a deep respect for your journey and personal experiences to guide our work together. I recognize our ability to transform our pain stories into antidotes of beauty and resilience. I have designed several healing paradigms as tools, such as the Conversational Arc, the Wheel of Initiation , The Inner Labyrinth of Transformation, The Wish-fulling Mandala, as evidence-based templates to bring forth self-awareness, compassion and the transformation of pain stories. These templates are used in my mentoring writers as well as in therapy for those whom it resonates with. My studies of group dynamics over the past several decades, which includes study with Parker J Palmer, Ph D, creates a safe and dynamic setting for those to learn, engage in practices and explore. My recent book ,The Clue of the Red Thread was written in collaboration with Parker J Palmer and was released in January of 2021. I have offered the Shaman’s Body consultation circles for therapists and healers to gather for consultation. I have journaled since the age of 16, designed a healing program for family of those with mental illness: Hidden Victims/Hidden Healers due to the secondary trauma family members experience. A result of this research was a book and programs being established in Australia, Canada, and throughout the United States.
Presently my focus is on helping clients transform their lives through embodied writing and embodied living. I use embodied practices in mentoring my writers and in working with therapy clients.
I mention that I have experience with CBT. True and I have been moving away from that as a singular approach. CBT as a popular singular approach has bolstered the growing opinion in clinical psychology that no particular intervention is better than any other, and that the most important predictor of therapeutic success is the quality of the therapeutic relationship
I agree with that predictor.
I have found that the best combo within therapy is relational, narrative and somatic. Relational in that the basis of a successful therapeutic experience is dependent on a healthy, skillful and genuine relationship between the client and the therapist. A good match results in good therapy. The therapist must be rooted in principles, boundaries and have a relatable skill set. Compassion and a genuine interest in the client must be the primary motive for the therapist. And the client must feel a genuine connection with the therapist. Narrative in that through the client sharing of their story and experiences and practicing inquiry and attention they can heal and transform painful circumstances and negative habitual patterns. Narrative includes the stories and assumptions we tell ourselves, so those are also part of the inquiry. Somatic means the conversation and work is embodied. That the context always returns to and is understood through one's physical-emotional experiences. CBT can be a branch of all these, especially when it comes to inquiry practices. Again, all this relies on a genuine and authentic relationship between the client and therapist. A necessary vulnerability and receptivity to oneself and the other.
I have been engaging with people as a therapist for 40 years. And I am still as enthused and dedicated to this relationship. I continue to learn through my clients, as well as through attending various trainings and teachings. I am deeply grateful to work with you and believe that the therapeutic relationship can be a life-long benefit. (I always claim that my therapist saved my life. In truth, our relationship gave me the means to save myself).
I have recently taken more training in somatic experiencing, awareness and breath practices that help with personal insight and well-being. I look forward to exploring these with you. However, you lead the sessions not me; our conversation and explorations are determined by you and what you are wanting to experience.
I have researched and written about pain (trauma) stories, the transformative power of journaling, narrative therapies and cognitive-behavioral and somatic therapies as well as breathwork in the healing of pain stories for four decades. My books invite the reader to go on their own personal journey of awakening and healing, using the Wheel of Initiation, the Zero Point Agreement and, the Clue of the Red Thread. With a little good help from others, we have the inner resources to transform pain into antidotes and resistance into movement. I have practiced yoga throughout my life and consider myself a life-time yogi practitioner. I am trained in Vipassanna (mindfulness) meditation practices, somatic experiencing, trauma-informed yoga practices and other researched based practices of mind-training and emotional-body awareness. Trained also in narrative therapies, I trust the process of sharing and exploring our life stories. Also trained in Rational-emotive therapies and depth psychology, my wholistic and engaged presence allows you to find your own path of healing and transformation. This is essential to my way of meeting my clients; I have a deep respect for your journey and personal experiences to guide our work together. I recognize our ability to transform our pain stories into antidotes of beauty and resilience. I have designed several healing paradigms as tools, such as the Conversational Arc, the Wheel of Initiation , The Inner Labyrinth of Transformation, The Wish-fulling Mandala, as evidence-based templates to bring forth self-awareness, compassion and the transformation of pain stories. These templates are used in my mentoring writers as well as in therapy for those whom it resonates with. My studies of group dynamics over the past several decades, which includes study with Parker J Palmer, Ph D, creates a safe and dynamic setting for those to learn, engage in practices and explore. My recent book ,The Clue of the Red Thread was written in collaboration with Parker J Palmer and was released in January of 2021. I have offered the Shaman’s Body consultation circles for therapists and healers to gather for consultation. I have journaled since the age of 16, designed a healing program for family of those with mental illness: Hidden Victims/Hidden Healers due to the secondary trauma family members experience. A result of this research was a book and programs being established in Australia, Canada, and throughout the United States.
Presently my focus is on helping clients transform their lives through embodied writing and embodied living. I use embodied practices in mentoring my writers and in working with therapy clients.
Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, LCSW
My passions are many, as I work with clients and students one-on-one, helping you find direction and inspiration. I facilitate transformational circles. I believe that healing, transformation and awakening best occur in community. I offer writing consultation circles and free writing retreats for my writers. I have studied and explored ways to hold safe circles and groups for over thirty years. I enjoy working with people in circle and helping participants learn to hold circles of their own. Circles are based on Parker J. Palmer’s Circles of Trust, 12 Traditions of Al Anon, and my research on healthy group dynamics.
For over 15 years I offered my year-long Initiation Course based on my book, Wheel of Initiation. In 2013 I completed my final one. I went on to offer Zero Point Circles: THE COURAGE TO BE YOURSELF for 5 years. In that circle we explore community, creative purpose and spiritual renewal in a circle of dedicated individuals. I now offer a monthly spiritual circle: The Clue of the Red Thread for those who want to explore possibilities on and off the page. As The Writer's Sherpa, I enjoy every part of the writer’s life (and helping others to live a fulfilling creative life). I am presently seeking a publisher for my first novel. I have kept a journal since the age of sixteen. I taught on-line and face-to-face adjunct instructor through the UW-Madison, Continuing Studies Writing Program (for 10 years) until its closing this June, 2021. Working for the UW and living The Wisconsin Idea, was a dream come true for me.
I have taken my popular UW Retreat and workshop, Write-by-the-Lake and now offer it as a month long class: Write-By-The-LIGHT. |
MediaLIME Radio Interview
On “Using your Journal”to enhance your creative and spiritual path. Listen online (need to find link). Article
On Being A Spiritual Hero 
|
TESTIMONIALS
"Julie has been my writing sherpa in the classroom and in a writing circle for 2 years. Under Julie's guidance, both my writing and my confidence have grown. Julie is a wonderful guide, mentor, teacher, counselor. Her circles are part writing critique and part therapy. Julie creates an ideal space to harness all your writerly gifts. Recently I did a one-on-one consult with Julie and I can't believe I didn't sign up sooner. In the hour and a half, we focused on a chapter of my book and I left with very clear goals for revising and improving my manuscript. Sometimes I feel like I am just writing, but after my consult with Julie, I feel like a soon-to-be author. Julie's expertise in the publishing world as well as her helpful, honest, and friendly guidance, make her consults effective, productive, and inspiring. I walked away with a plan, and am at the next level." –Molly Chanson is a teacher, writer, and entrepreneur, inspired by yoga as a path to healing. Molly shares her her personal experiences as a mom and wife on her blog, Soul Ma in order to inspire other women to heal, grow, and transform into their bravest self. Molly lives in southern Wisconsin with her two young boys and is writing her first book. Please contact Molly at molly@soulma.com
“Julie Tallard Johnson--a gifted teacher and writer--brings fresh insight to an ancient truth: each of us must live from the inside out. Her book--full of resources that range from heart-deep insight to helpful, practical exercises--can help us reclaim the treasure-trove of our own experience and being.” (Parker J. Palmer, author of Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to)
“In The Zero Point Agreement, Julie Tallard Johnson intelligently presents elegantly simple yet remarkably powerful practices for personal and societal transformation. Through the masterful weaving of teaching stories that touch the heart and inspire, she helps foster the development of an authentic identity. This is what our children, our families, our communities, and the land need.” (Corinna Stevenson, ecopsychologist and creator of Dragonfly Healing)
“I was captivated by Julie Tallard Johnson’s accessible treatise on how we are all charged with making meaning in our daily lives. I found The Zero Point Agreement dazzling because it is so packed with actual, practical wisdom. I can honestly say it has already changed my life.” (Meg Cox, author of The Book of New Family Traditions)
“The Zero Point Agreement offers a clear, practical path to taking control of what you are able to and living the life you want to live.” (Dinty W. Moore, author of The Mindful Writer: Noble Truths of the Writing Life)
“Julie Tallard Johnson’s The Zero Point Agreement is a brilliant resource for deep and lasting change. I have used the zero point agreement in my own life and have shared it with clients and students. It is not another pie-in-the-sky promise of change. It is straightforward and effective.” (Tamar Zick, LPC, RYT, licensed psychotherapist and registered yoga teacher)
“What a generous, wise, and useful book this is! Each chapter is so filled with quotes, anecdotes, hands-on exercises and more that help and inspire us to fully claim our own lives. There’s enough here to guide and inform you for many years to come.” (Ruth L. Schwartz, Ph.D., award-winning poet, and author of Soul on Earth: A Guide to Living & Loving)
“A delightful companion for those of us seeking greater levels of balance, meaning, and joy--this book offers many gems of inspiration as well as the welcomed reminder that the journey toward wholeness always begins within.” (Karen Horneffer-Ginter, Ph.D., author of Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit)
“The Zero Point Agreement is not only a book it’s also a beautifully written love letter to the essence of who we really are.” (Radiah Nunez, hostess of the H2O Network)
“Julie’s new book goes to the sinew from the beginning, reminding us of who we really are. She invites us to listen to ourselves, especially our demons, and shows us how to navigate from desire to the dreams that comprise our core. “Living life from my side” is an inspired, pragmatic concept that will change lives. Imagine a world where each of us takes 100% responsibility for our experience. This is Julie’s offering: a spark of hope and a path of light.” (Prudence Tippins, ph d., owner/director of The Calliope Center for Reflection and Renewal )
“In this resource-rich book of practical wisdom and wise practices, Julie Tallard Johnson offers readers multidimensional insights, inspiration, and skills for living with greater authenticity, creativity, and happiness. Integrating science, spirituality, and art in an engaging and deeply thoughtful approach to becoming who you already are, this gifted teacher demonstrates how each of us can create more meaning and joy in our lives--in ourselves, in the world around us, and for our power to create and shape the stories we tell ourselves and others.” (Amber Ault, Ph.D., clinical sociologist and psychotherapist)
"Julie has been my writing sherpa in the classroom and in a writing circle for 2 years. Under Julie's guidance, both my writing and my confidence have grown. Julie is a wonderful guide, mentor, teacher, counselor. Her circles are part writing critique and part therapy. Julie creates an ideal space to harness all your writerly gifts. Recently I did a one-on-one consult with Julie and I can't believe I didn't sign up sooner. In the hour and a half, we focused on a chapter of my book and I left with very clear goals for revising and improving my manuscript. Sometimes I feel like I am just writing, but after my consult with Julie, I feel like a soon-to-be author. Julie's expertise in the publishing world as well as her helpful, honest, and friendly guidance, make her consults effective, productive, and inspiring. I walked away with a plan, and am at the next level." –Molly Chanson is a teacher, writer, and entrepreneur, inspired by yoga as a path to healing. Molly shares her her personal experiences as a mom and wife on her blog, Soul Ma in order to inspire other women to heal, grow, and transform into their bravest self. Molly lives in southern Wisconsin with her two young boys and is writing her first book. Please contact Molly at molly@soulma.com
“Julie Tallard Johnson--a gifted teacher and writer--brings fresh insight to an ancient truth: each of us must live from the inside out. Her book--full of resources that range from heart-deep insight to helpful, practical exercises--can help us reclaim the treasure-trove of our own experience and being.” (Parker J. Palmer, author of Healing the Heart of Democracy, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to)
“In The Zero Point Agreement, Julie Tallard Johnson intelligently presents elegantly simple yet remarkably powerful practices for personal and societal transformation. Through the masterful weaving of teaching stories that touch the heart and inspire, she helps foster the development of an authentic identity. This is what our children, our families, our communities, and the land need.” (Corinna Stevenson, ecopsychologist and creator of Dragonfly Healing)
“I was captivated by Julie Tallard Johnson’s accessible treatise on how we are all charged with making meaning in our daily lives. I found The Zero Point Agreement dazzling because it is so packed with actual, practical wisdom. I can honestly say it has already changed my life.” (Meg Cox, author of The Book of New Family Traditions)
“The Zero Point Agreement offers a clear, practical path to taking control of what you are able to and living the life you want to live.” (Dinty W. Moore, author of The Mindful Writer: Noble Truths of the Writing Life)
“Julie Tallard Johnson’s The Zero Point Agreement is a brilliant resource for deep and lasting change. I have used the zero point agreement in my own life and have shared it with clients and students. It is not another pie-in-the-sky promise of change. It is straightforward and effective.” (Tamar Zick, LPC, RYT, licensed psychotherapist and registered yoga teacher)
“What a generous, wise, and useful book this is! Each chapter is so filled with quotes, anecdotes, hands-on exercises and more that help and inspire us to fully claim our own lives. There’s enough here to guide and inform you for many years to come.” (Ruth L. Schwartz, Ph.D., award-winning poet, and author of Soul on Earth: A Guide to Living & Loving)
“A delightful companion for those of us seeking greater levels of balance, meaning, and joy--this book offers many gems of inspiration as well as the welcomed reminder that the journey toward wholeness always begins within.” (Karen Horneffer-Ginter, Ph.D., author of Full Cup, Thirsty Spirit)
“The Zero Point Agreement is not only a book it’s also a beautifully written love letter to the essence of who we really are.” (Radiah Nunez, hostess of the H2O Network)
“Julie’s new book goes to the sinew from the beginning, reminding us of who we really are. She invites us to listen to ourselves, especially our demons, and shows us how to navigate from desire to the dreams that comprise our core. “Living life from my side” is an inspired, pragmatic concept that will change lives. Imagine a world where each of us takes 100% responsibility for our experience. This is Julie’s offering: a spark of hope and a path of light.” (Prudence Tippins, ph d., owner/director of The Calliope Center for Reflection and Renewal )
“In this resource-rich book of practical wisdom and wise practices, Julie Tallard Johnson offers readers multidimensional insights, inspiration, and skills for living with greater authenticity, creativity, and happiness. Integrating science, spirituality, and art in an engaging and deeply thoughtful approach to becoming who you already are, this gifted teacher demonstrates how each of us can create more meaning and joy in our lives--in ourselves, in the world around us, and for our power to create and shape the stories we tell ourselves and others.” (Amber Ault, Ph.D., clinical sociologist and psychotherapist)
BOOKS
I think it's imperative that we enter this new world, that is both certain to arrive as we recover from COVID but that is also charged with uncertainty, with a hold of our inner knowings. We need to enter these new emerging conversations with our selves and others in ways that are inclusive and fearless. There is a new world dawning, if we make it so. We can use the clue the red thread to navigate this uncertainty and new world fearless in our desire to make a real difference.” Julie
Link to purchase the book: http://www.shantiarts.co/uploads/files/jkl/JOHNSON_CLUE.html.
In The Clue of the Red Thread, Johnson, longtime student of author, teacher, and activist Parker J. Palmer, offers numerous practices and strategies for navigating what she calls the greatest adventure of our lifetime: going inward to discover who we truly are, then returning outward to blossom into a fearless and compassionate citizen, living with integrity while both keeping hold of the red thread in our own lives and moving forward to pass it on to others.
I think it's imperative that we enter this new world, that is both certain to arrive as we recover from COVID but that is also charged with uncertainty, with a hold of our inner knowings. We need to enter these new emerging conversations with our selves and others in ways that are inclusive and fearless. There is a new world dawning, if we make it so. We can use the clue the red thread to navigate this uncertainty and new world fearless in our desire to make a real difference.” Julie
Link to purchase the book: http://www.shantiarts.co/uploads/files/jkl/JOHNSON_CLUE.html.
In The Clue of the Red Thread, Johnson, longtime student of author, teacher, and activist Parker J. Palmer, offers numerous practices and strategies for navigating what she calls the greatest adventure of our lifetime: going inward to discover who we truly are, then returning outward to blossom into a fearless and compassionate citizen, living with integrity while both keeping hold of the red thread in our own lives and moving forward to pass it on to others.
Home | Writing | Books | Counseling | Blog | About | Contact - Subscribe to receive my blog by email
©2022 Julie Tallard Johnson, MSW, LCSW
The Writer's Sherpa
Transformational & Embodied Counselor & Mentor
Engaged in the world, one conversation at a time
Most rights reserved. Admin
The Writer's Sherpa
Transformational & Embodied Counselor & Mentor
Engaged in the world, one conversation at a time
Most rights reserved. Admin