Juliana Tozzi, MSW, LSW
Juliana Tozzi, a Licensed Social Worker in the State of New Jersey, earned her Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from Kean University. A distinguished Phi Beta Kappa scholar completing her program with Magna Cum Laude honors, Juliana completed two advanced placement internships following her graduate program during which time she gained diverse and extensive clinical experience.
At Summit Oaks Hospital, an acute care psychiatric hospital located in Summit, New Jersey, Juliana engaged in diagnostic assessment, evaluated biopsychosocial functioning, created individualized treatment plans, coordinated care for inpatient clients, and planned for aftercare treatment for those requiring outpatient services following discharge. Juliana also facilitated individual, group, and family therapy with diverse age groups and populations experiencing a range of behavioral, emotional, psychological, and psychiatric challenges including, but not limited to, anxiety disorders, mood disorders (e.g., depression, bipolar), psychotic disorders, personality disorders, emotional regulation difficulties, substance abuse/addictions, and trauma (e.g., acute stress disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders), as well as life adjustment challenges related to parenting, finances, family dynamics, and overall personal adjustment.
At the Family Service Bureau of Newark, an urban non-profit agency associated with the New Community Corporation, one of the largest and most comprehensive community development organizations in the United States, Juliana provided therapeutic counseling for individuals and groups, including individuals and families legally-mandated by the State of New Jersey. Juliana also provided treatment for individuals struggling with substance use disorders and counseling for families enduring adjustment in transitional housing scenarios.
Juliana’s areas of particular interest and expertise include adverse childhood experiences, acute stress disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, other forms of trauma, and the neurophysiological and psychological impact of trauma on physical and emotional health and overall psychological functioning. Juliana’s other interests include encouraging and supporting individuals with co-occurring psychiatric disorders, defined by meeting the criteria for substance use disorder in conjunction with another psychiatric disorder (e.g., mood, anxiety, etc.) and/or neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism, ADHD, learning disorders).
Akin to her purepsych colleagues, Juliana helps her clients generate solutions in a humanistic fashion, altering problematic perspectives to life obstacles that can be viewed as developmental/lifespan learning opportunities, ranging from the resolution of anxiety experiences, mood lability, addictions/substance use, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and executive function deficits, to the elicited creation of strategies to support the experiences of the individuals with whom she works. Juliana has adopted an eclectic and overarching theoretical approach to her work with clients and includes Ecological-Systems, Structural Family Therapy, Humanistic Theory, and Strengths-Based Resilience Theories, in addition to employing a Trauma Informed lens, and the foundational tenets of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT).
Juliana possesses an innate, preternatural, and extraordinary ability to forge strong, successful, longstanding therapeutic alliances with individuals of all ages, races, and backgrounds. Understanding the profound importance of trust and unconditional positive regard, Juliana utilizes the sanctity of the therapeutic relationship to emphasize each individual’s unique strengths, and foster healing, clarity, growth, self-actualization, and homeostasis. An authentic and genuine humanist at her core, Juliana’s relational engagement with her clients mimic that of a brilliant ballet featuring calmness and enthusiasm coupled with boundless energy and dedication.
