Experience & Passion
for Mental Health
About Julie
After returning from a month-long volunteer stint helping those affected by Hurricane Katrina, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in mental health. When I found my first job helping teenagers overcome trauma and abuse, I knew it was a perfect fit!
Following years of working while in college, in 2010 I finally finished a Masters in Social Work, specializing in Mental Health. I was fortunate to start my first clinical job as a Child & Family Therapist where I started to see the bigger picture education and program development. There, I successfully wrote several grants, developed a gardening program, and wrote the substance abuse program for my organization.
In 2016, I began teaching college courses at Parkland College. In the following years, I certified hundreds of individuals in Mental Health First Aid, developed the Mental Health Certificate program at the College, and created 14 episodes of the Mental Health Minute on WPCD 88.7.
In 2022, after several workshop requests to help churches & organizations learn more about mental health, I developed Julie Birky Education. As a Mental Health Educator, my mission is to educate all corporate, church, campus, and community groups to feel confident responding to mental health concerns and crises.
Besides developing mental health programs, I am also married with two kids and see clients at a private practice in Savoy. My husband, Josh Birky, and I have two kids, live on a small farm, grow fruits & vegetables, and keep chickens! We find moments of peace playing original NES games with restoring our 100+ year-old farmhouse, and baking bread from scratch.
About Josh Birky
After taking a Public Administration course at the University of South Florida, Josh began learning more about grant-writing and fundraising for non-profits. Upon graduating with a Master’s in Environmental Policy, he worked for the City of Danville Public Works department securing a grant and developing a storm water program. Shortly after, Josh began his career writing grants at Parkland College.
For over a decade, Josh has been writing and managing the Grants and Contracts office at Parkland College, successfully writing, and securing hundreds of grants totaling millions of dollars. Most notably, Josh secured the college’s first-ever National Science Foundation (NSF) grant and has since helped the college secure six more.
With Julie Birky Education, Josh develops and teaches grant-writing workshops and consults with both small & large non-profit organizations on grant-writing projects. In 2021, Josh was named one of the C-U community’s 40 under 40 winners.
Josh is married to Julie Birky. They have two kids and live on a small farm growing fruits & vegetables and keeping chickens. He enjoys attempts to win against Julie when they play games on their original NES.
About Julie Birky Education, LLC
Big Vision
To create a culture where mental health is a valuable & normal part of our corporate, church, campus, and community life.
Simple Mission
To educate all corporate, church, campus, and community groups to feel confident responding to mental health concerns and crises.
Firm Values
Social Connections. Faith. Learning. Empowering Others. Community Problem-Solving. Creativity. Nature. Learning from Mistakes. Enjoying the Journey. Hope.
Ambitious Goals
1) Bring Mental Health training to every student group, church, company, & organization in our community.
3) Help every organization in our community develop a Mental Health Crisis Response Plan.
4) Empower community leaders to write successful grant applications that secure funds supporting life changing programs.
About Julie
After returning from a month-long volunteer stint helping those affected by Hurricane Katrina, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in mental health. When I found my first job helping teenagers overcome trauma and abuse, I knew it was a perfect fit!
Following years of working while in college, in 2010 I finally finished a Masters in Social Work, specializing in Mental Health. I was fortunate to start my first clinical job as a Child & Family Therapist where I started to see the bigger picture education and program development. There, I successfully wrote several grants, developed a gardening program, and wrote the substance abuse program for my organization.
In 2016, I began teaching college courses at Parkland College. In the following years, I certified hundreds of individuals in Mental Health First Aid, developed the Mental Health Certificate program at the College, and created 14 episodes of the Mental Health Minute on WPCD 88.7.
In 2022, after several workshop requests to help churches & organizations learn more about mental health, I developed Julie Birky Education. As a Mental Health Educator, my mission is to educate all corporate, church, campus, and community groups to feel confident responding to mental health concerns and crises.
Besides developing mental health programs, I am also married with two kids and see clients at a private practice in Savoy. My husband, Josh Birky, and I have two kids, live on a small farm, grow fruits & vegetables, and keep chickens! We find moments of peace playing original NES games with restoring our 100+ year-old farmhouse, and baking bread from scratch.
About Josh Birky
After taking a Public Administration course at the University of South Florida, Josh began learning more about grant-writing and fundraising for non-profits. Upon graduating with a Master’s in Environmental Policy, he worked for the City of Danville Public Works department securing a grant and developing a storm water program. Shortly after, Josh began his career writing grants at Parkland College.
For over a decade, Josh has been writing and managing the Grants and Contracts office at Parkland College, successfully writing, and securing hundreds of grants totaling millions of dollars. Most notably, Josh secured the college’s first-ever National Science Foundation (NSF) grant and has since helped the college secure six more.
With Julie Birky Education, Josh develops and teaches grant-writing workshops and consults with both small & large non-profit organizations on grant-writing projects. In 2021, Josh was named one of the C-U community’s 40 under 40 winners.
Josh is married to Julie Birky. They have two kids and live on a small farm growing fruits & vegetables and keeping chickens. He enjoys attempts to win against Julie when they play games on their original NES.
About Julie Birky Education, LLC
Big Vision
To create a culture where mental health is a valuable & normal part of our corporate, church, campus, and community life.
Simple Mission
To educate all corporate, church, campus, and community groups to feel confident responding to mental health concerns and crises.
Firm Values
Social Connections. Faith. Learning. Empowering Others. Community Problem-Solving. Creativity. Nature. Learning from Mistakes. Enjoying the Journey. Hope.
Ambitious Goals
1) Bring Mental Health training to every student group, church, company, & organization in our community.
3) Help every organization in our community develop a Mental Health Crisis Response Plan.
4) Empower community leaders to write successful grant applications that secure funds supporting life changing programs.