Elva 'Julia' Garafola, LCSW
Therapist in Missouri
Elva 'Julia' Garafola offers calm, steady support for people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and big life changes.
- Licensed inTexas, Missouri
- License56813, 2024038145
- NPI 1790247864
- Experience12+ years
- LanguagesEnglish
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Elva
Elva 'Julia' Garafola offers calm, steady support for people facing stress, anxiety, depression, grief, and big life changes. She meets people where they are and helps them find practical ways to feel better. Julia uses everyday language and clear goals so therapy feels manageable and focused from the start.
Julia is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW with 12 years of experience. She practices in Missouri and brings experience helping with relationship concerns, parenting strains, sleep problems, career stress, and compassion fatigue.
Background and approach
She also addresses trauma and abuse, attachment issues, and challenges related to adoption, foster care, and abandonment. Her approach combines Attachment-Based Therapy with acceptance and behavioral strategies. Sessions often include talking through difficult moments, spotting unhelpful patterns, and trying small changes between meetings.
The work is collaborative and paced to each persons needs. Clients can expect a mix of skills practice and reflective conversation. Julia uses tools from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help with worry, mood, and unhelpful thinking.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills and client-centered listening shape how she supports emotion regulation and decision making. Julia helps people clarify values, set manageable goals, and improve daily coping. She aims to make progress feel realistic rather than overwhelming.
Therapy is tailored to each persons situation and adjusts as goals change.
Credentials
- LCSW (Texas)
- License 56813 · expires April 2028
- LCSW (Missouri)
- License 2024038145 · expires September 2027
- NPI
- 1790247864 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the therapist lists and checks neither.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Elva lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Grief
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Trauma and abuse
- Sleeping disorders
- Parenting issues
- Anger management
- Self esteem
- Career difficulties
- Compassion fatigue
- Abandonment
- Adoption and foster care
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Attachment issues
- Blended family issues
- Body image
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Chronic pain, illness, and disability
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Eating and food-related issues
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- HIV / AIDS
- Hoarding
- Hospice and end-of-life counseling
- Impulsivity
- Infidelity
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Men's issues
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-love
- Sexual dysfunction
- Sexuality
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Elva names
- Attachment-Based Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Psychodynamic Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
Naming an approach is not evidence of training in it. This directory copies what each therapist lists and does not check training records.
Online support
How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions
Attachment-Based Therapy centers on understanding how early relationships shape how a person connects and reacts today. In online sessions this can mean talking through patterns in current relationships and practicing new ways to ask for needs to be met. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, or ACT, focuses on noticing thoughts and choosing actions that match personal values; it often uses brief exercises to try between sessions to build different habits. Client-Centered Therapy emphasizes a respectful, nonjudgmental setting where the person leads the conversation and the therapist follows, offering reflection and support.Finding the right approach is a team effort. The therapist will talk with the person about goals, struggles, and preferences and then suggest which methods to try. That plan is revisited and adjusted as progress is made so therapy stays relevant and useful.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video allows face-to-face conversation for deeper discussion and visual cues. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone prefers not to be on camera. Live chat and text messaging are useful for shorter check-ins, skill coaching between sessions, and people who communicate better in writing. These options make it easier to fit therapy into work, caregiving, and travel schedules.
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Frequently asked
What kinds of concerns can I bring to therapy?
She works with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship issues, sleep problems, parenting strain, career stress, trauma and abuse, and compassion fatigue, among other concerns.
How would you describe the therapy style?
The style is collaborative and person-centered, using listening, practical skills, and exploration to help people make small, useful changes.
What experience does this therapist have?
Julia has 12 years of clinical experience and has worked with people facing a wide range of life stressors and relationship challenges.
What credentials and location are listed?
She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW with licenses in Texas and Missouri, and she practices from Missouri.
Which languages are supported and are international clients accepted?
Sessions are offered in English and international clients are not currently accepted.
What session formats are available?
Sessions are offered by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging to fit different schedules and needs.
How does cost and billing work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
How do I begin working with this therapist?
Start by selecting the Start Therapy button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and then schedule sessions according to therapist availability.
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