Julie Straughan, M.A, B.S., AACC

Julie joined the House of Hope counseling team in 2018. In the residential program, Julie works with our teen residents, and their parents, to recognize and get “unstuck” from harmful behaviors and to replace them with healthy ones. Julie consults with medical doctors in evaluating and determining an individual approach for the resident. Julie supports parents during the weekly parenting class, where they gain insight and learn new skills to implement, and have in place, when their child has completed the residential program and returns home.

Prior to joining House of Hope, Julie previously worked 9 years in a private practice, as well as a Christian counseling service, providing therapy for individuals, marital counseling as well as parental and family counseling. Julie was also a therapist at Philhaven, a family based program, where she worked with severely emotionally troubled children/adolescents and their families. Her work involved helping families struggling with the effects of varying degrees of trauma, mental health diagnoses, developmental delay/autism spectrum disorder and addictive behaviors. Julie volunteered at Camp Joy-El as a Released Time coordinator, as a Sunday School Teacher and a Youth Group Leadership. Julie is currently serving on a startup committee with her church, to implement a program designed to help others experience freedom in Christ.

Julie’s educational background includes earning a Master of Arts degree, Magna Cum Laude, in Marriage & Family Therapy from Evangelical Theological Seminary, Myerstown PA. Julie earned her Bachelor of Science degree, Cum Laude, in Home Economics from Kansas State University. In addition, Julie is trained in Children & Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS), is a certified administrator of Prepare Enrich Premarital/Marriage Enrichment testing and counseling, a certified administrator/evaluator for Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), completed a 3 year clinical training program administered by Center for Family Based Training Philadelphia and is a member of American Association of Christian Counselors, AACC. Julie and her husband have 2 sons and a granddaughter. Julie enjoys gardening, baking, home renovation projects, camping, and thrift store shopping, and especially enjoys being a grandma.

Romans 12:12-13 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with the Lord’s people who are in in need…”