Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Burke.
Hi Julie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
You could argue that my professional story really started when I was 19 years old…I was in college at St. Edward’s University studying psychology & criminology and was a server at a local seafood restaurant…I had been working in the service industry since I was 16 and it was something I LOVED doing and figured if I was studying psychology, that ultimately meant I would work with people in the future…and if I wanted to do that in the future, I should probably start sooner rather than later. I got on Craigslist and searched for jobs as a nanny (I figured it would be a good place to start) and found many job opportunities working with individuals (children and/or teenagers) on the autism spectrum. I knew VERY little about autism at the time, but had a “how hard could this be?” attitude–a fearlessness that I try to carry with me today.
Fast forward almost 15 years later…I worked as a personal tutor/assistant for individuals on the autism spectrum (privately), I’ve worked with adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities at the Austin State Supported Living Center, have supported college-aged students with developmental disabilities as a mentor and then began my journey as therapist at a group practice before starting my own private practice. I’m lucky that I figured out at a young age that my passion was to work with people and support, connect, and share space with people in their most human moments…it’s undoubtedly my favorite part of being a therapist today with my own practice.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been CHALLENGING to say the very least!
When I worked at the State Supported Living Center, I realized (quickly) how much I loved working with people with developmental & intellectual disabilities…AND it’s also one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever held. Granted, I worked with aggressive clients (the one and only time I ever got stitches was because of one of the residents I worked with during my time there). Fast forward (a handful of years), when I started working at a group counseling practice…it was essentially like working at a private practice with the support of an established group. Needless to say, it was a tough & tender start. The first client I ever worked with came for 1 session and didn’t want to come back for another one…in hindsight, I don’t blame them. It was a couple coming in to work on their relationship–I thought they were coming in for parenting support and as a newly trained Positive Discipline Parent Educator, I convinced myself I was ready for anything they threw my way…when they said they wanted to work on their relationship, though, I froze…I’m sure they could sense my lack of confidence…I mean, who would want to keep working with me in that capacity? I know I wouldn’t…which I can comfortably say now (5.5 years into my journey as a therapist), however, this was a HUGE blow to my confidence as a clinician. On top of that, starting off in a private practice setting is TOUGH. I had to hustle to increase my clients/caseload and networked with anyone & everyone who would give me the time of day. It was a time in my life where I struggled financially for months…to the point where I had to borrow money from my best friend to make ends meet. At the time, I felt a lot of shame asking her for money, but it was an important life lesson for me on the importance (and value) of asking for help and learning to be humble in doing so.
Because I know what it’s like to be a new clinician and what it’s like to struggle financially AND because I have the security in what I do now, I try to give back in ways I can to others at this place in my journey…whether that looks like mentoring & supporting new(er) clinicians who have that similar wide-eyed view of their therapeutic journey or providing lower fees for clients who aren’t able to pay a full-fee for therapy…I look for opportunities to show love to others as an unofficial “thank you” to anyone & everyone who did the same for me along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am the owner & therapist at Violet Crown Therapy; my work with clients revolves around cultivating authentic, empowered relationships, whether it be with themselves or others. My goal is for everyone to understand what healthy boundaries look like to create a long-lasting connection with those they love and learn to lean into vulnerability. I work with people in individuals or groups (whether that be relationship or family therapy) and support people in finding connection, compassion, and empathy in their lives. I have worked with people as young as 8 and as old as in their 80s.
When working with people, my goal is ALWAYS to connect with someone on a human level–human connection is imperative, so when connecting with someone, I share tender, vulnerable parts of my life (as needed/appropriate) in an effort to create a safe space for someone to allow themselves to just be and let me in to the tender, beautiful, hard parts of their lives.
How do you think about luck?
As far as luck goes…what a curious thing to think about. When I think about how luck has impacted my life and my business…I think about graduate school. When applying to grad school, I was accepted into the counseling programs at Mary-Hardin Baylor and St. Edward’s and was denied admission to Texas State. I’ll admit–the letter saying I wasn’t admitted to Texas State HURT…it hurt really bad and I felt a sense of rejection that I can’t quite put into words. I wanted to stay in the Austin-area (or as close to it as possible so I could continue working full time while being in grad school) so I ended up going to St. Ed’s…something at the time that felt like it was arguably the only option that felt right…but in the long run, it was where I needed to be. Grad school was honestly a pretty great experience overall. During my last semester, I signed up for a class and within the first week, I knew it was NOT the class for me. Ugh. The only other option that was available was “Child & Adolescent Therapy”. Great. At that point in time, I KNEW the last thing I wanted to do was work with teenagers…and the class was during the day and didn’t work with my schedule…ugh. I was able to work it out with my boss and decided to give this class a try…I knew it had to be better than the initial one I signed up for…and I FELL IN LOVE with the idea of working with & supporting teenagers. It was in that class that I realized how much childhood & adolescence impacts adults and how much of therapy with others would likely be unpacking & processing wounds from when people were younger…so my plan was to try to work with teenagers and give them the space & voice they need (that they often get silenced from having). WELL. It was also during that class that a guest speaker came and talked about her experience as a Positive Discipline Parent Educator…it was a philosophy that resonated with me, so I got her information and signed up for a Positive Discipline training just a few months later. Fast forward a few months AFTER that (this is post-graduation now), I started working at that particular person’s group practice.
Whether it was luck or serendipity or fate…whatever you’d like to call it, these experiences are significant parts of my professional story & helped me get to where I’m at today.
Contact Info:
- Email: julie@violetcrowntherapy.com
- Website: www.violetcrowntherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/violetcrowntherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/violetcrowntherapy
