Julia Simak, M.S., CCC-SLP

Specialties: Thinking Organized’s Core Focus Areas: Time Management; Material
Organization; Studying Strategies, Note-Taking; Written Language; Emphasis on Dyslexia, Reading,
Writing, and Language Disorders

Education: Bachelor of Science in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology from Towson
University; Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology from Towson University

Experience: Julia is an ASHA certified, Maryland licensed Speech Language Pathologist and a
member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. She has a wide array of experience working with clients from preschool through adulthood with a variety of needs. Julia has worked with elementary through high school students with executive functioning needs and ADHD on organization, time management, and language processing. She gears her therapy to her clients’ individual needs, utilizing their strengths and a multimodal approach. She gives clients the tools, strategies, and confidence to work on their written language skills by utilizing graphic organizers, outlines, and methods such as the SEE Method.

From a speech and language standpoint, Julia had the unique experience of working for Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes where she provided daily intensive reading intervention to clients from elementary to adulthood with dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders, and ADHD. At Montgomery County Public Schools, she worked with students one-on-one and in groups targeting articulation/phonological process disorders, fluency, dyslexia, receptive and expressive language disorders, and AAC. She believes in a client-centered approach to therapy, where the client is best suited to gain independence, build intrinsic motivation, and strengthen self-advocacy skills.

What do you enjoy most about working at Thinking Organized?
I greatly value seeing my clients and their families become more and more confident as they are given the knowledge and tools to succeed. Coming up with strategies and tools that best fit my clients’ individual needs is the most rewarding feeling!

What has been your greatest personal and/or professional achievement and why?
Personally, my greatest achievement was holding the 10th chair position at the Maryland Senior All-State Orchestra in high school. Spending 15 years in rigorous violin lessons, practicing for hours every day, and training for countless auditions, I learned how to stay disciplined, manage my academics, and maintain intrinsic motivation. I found that this accomplishment gave me a unique way to relate to my clients; I know how hard they work every day and the importance of finding the motivation to do this work.

What interesting fact would your clients & colleagues be most surprised to learn about
you?
When I’m not reading books and traveling, you can find me taking walks with the neighborhood
pooches. Although I do not have a dog of my own, I have inadvertently become a neighborhood
dog-walker. You could imagine how quickly a dog walking business can grow when you spend
all your time outside playing frisbee and going on long walks with the neighborhood pups.