Julie Heim Jackson, PhD
Clinical Psychologist
747 Main Street Suite 118
Concord, MA 01742
978-496-9076
About Me
I am a licensed psychologist specializing in treating anxiety and related disorders across the lifespan. I have a special interest in treating anxiety and related disorders in adolescents and young adults.
I believe in a collaborative therapeutic approach where we work together to identify what is truly important to you and how you can move toward fully living the meaningful life you would like. I work with individuals to identify that outcome picture, which often increases their willingness to approach their anxiety in a different way.
Education and Training
I graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Educational Psychology. I then received my master’s in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University. I completed my doctoral studies at Boston College and received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology in 2007.
I completed American Psychological Association accredited clinical fellowship training at Harvard Medical School with rotations at Boston Medical Center’s Child Psychiatry Clinic as well as the Veteran’s Administration’s Outpatient Clinic. I continued post-doctoral fellowship training at the Walker School in Needham, MA where I provided psychological assessment and consultation services for their therapeutic residential program and day school. I also completed a post-doctoral fellowship through the Chelmsford Public Schools where I provided assessment, individual and group treatment, and consultation to teachers, parents, and staff.
My diverse training and work experience across many settings (including hospitals, outpatient mental health centers, public schools, therapeutic schools, group homes, residential and day treatment programs, VA hospitals, and private practice) and with various populations has helped me to narrow in on the work that I love to do.
Specializing in the Evidence Based Treatment of Anxiety and Related Disorders
My style is grounded in the perspective that all people have areas of strengths and building upon those is crucial. I utilize evidence-based treatments that are tailored to your specific needs. Ultimately, I hope to provide you with the skills, perspective, and strategies to deal with your thoughts, emotions and behaviors in a way that moves toward your goals and what is important to you in life.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the relationship between thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and behaviors. Oftentimes, as we work on modifying thoughts and behaviors individuals find that their emotions change as well.
Research has demonstrated that CBT is helpful for a wide range of problems, including anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive and related disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, mood disorders, and more.
CBT is a directive, skills-based treatment that relies heavily on our collaborative relationship. Between sessions you (or your child) can expect to complete assignments to help put our in-session work into real world practice. CBT tends to be short term, but treatment duration will vary depending on the presenting problem and your preference.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a type of psychotherapy that incorporates mindfulness, values guided committed action, and acceptance (as opposed to avoidance). When engaging in ACT, the goal is not to eliminate difficult feelings - the full range of emotions are part of being human. Rather, we strive to be present with what life brings us and make choices so that our behavior is in line with our values.
There is strong research evidence that supports the use of ACT in treating depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, trauma, stress, and more.
Through ACT therapy, you will learn psychological flexibility. This includes learning to handle emotions as they come and not having them dominate you, noticing what your mind does without being hooked by it, spending your time and energy doing what is important to you and more.
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE)
SPACE is a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD and related problems. It is unique because only parents attend sessions and are provided with the tools and guidance to change their own behavior to help their child overcome anxiety, OCD or other related problems. Although the child may be in separate individual treatment, child participation is not necessary.
Through this treatment parents learn to respond more supportively to their child in a way that both validates their experience and communicates that the child can handle these difficult and distressing emotions. Parents are also guided to gradually reduce the accommodations they have been making to the child's anxiety symptoms. As a result, children and teens are better able to cope with anxiety independently and function better in their lives.
SPACE was developed at the Yale Child Study Center by Eli Lebowitz and has been found to be efficacious in the treatment of child anxiety disorders. You can learn more about SPACE here.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
ERP is a key component of treatment for many anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD. In ERP treatment, you will learn to fully experience the different situations you avoid because of anxiety without engaging in a compulsion or safety behaviors. We work collaboratively in treatment and take baby steps as needed.
ERP involves psychoeducation, identifying and challenging anxious thoughts and changing your behaviors with the goal of being fully present while engaging in what you care about. We work to identify and test out what you believe will happen in your feared situation and over time you will gain the confidence to know that you can handle both what might happen and the distress you feel when facing that fear.
Although ERP may feel intimidating, my goal is to find a pace where you or your child feels stretched and challenged, but not overwhelmed. Clients who engage in ERP as part of their treatment often feel such a sense of accomplishment and pride, because they did the hard work and see the tremendous benefits!
FAQ
Do you accept Insurance?
I am a contracted provider for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. If you do not have BCBS insurance, your insurance plan (i.e., PPO plans) may offer partial reimbursement for out-of-network services. To determine what out-of-network coverage you have, you can contact your insurance company directly. I will provide you with a detailed receipt including the necessary diagnostic and billing codes which you can then submit for reimbursement with your insurance company. Click Here to see my Good Faith Estimate policy.
What are your fees?
My fee for the initial evaluation (usually 2 one hour sessions) is $225 an hour.
Individual and family psychotherapy sessions is $200 per session.
I charge $200 an hour for other professional services you may need, though I will break down the hourly cost if I work for periods of less than one hour.
These services may include:
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report writing
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telephone conversations lasting longer than 5 minutes with clients or family members, teachers, PCPs, pediatricians, etc
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attendance at meetings with other professionals you have authorized
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preparation of records or treatment summaries
Insurance does not cover these services, if you choose to have me engage in these services, my fee will be as follows:
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5-15 min: $50
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15-30 min: $100
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30-45 min: $150
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45-60 min: $200
How is payment collected?
Payments and co-payments are due at the time of service. I require that a credit card be kept on file. If you need a different arrangement, please let me know.
Do you offer therapy via video teleconference (telehealth) and in person therapy?
Yes, I offer both in person therapy and HIPAA-compliant video conference sessions.
Contact Me
For any questions you have, you can reach me here:
Julie Heim Jackson, PhD
747 Main Street
Suite 118
Concord, MA 01742
978.496.9076