Josie Olson, LPC

Josie Olson has worked in the mental health field for over ten years in a variety of practice settings serving communities across Virginia.  She holds a licensure in Virginia as a Licensed Professional Counselor.  She is a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and enjoys working with children and adolescents struggling with a variety of mental health diagnoses and trauma related difficulties.  Josie enjoys working with families; she has written grants to provide Filial Therapy to promote healthy attachments within foster and adoptive families.  She also holds a national certification in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and finds this treatment modality helpful with adolescents and young adults who suffer from depression, anxiety, personality, and relational issues.  Josie is also certified in EMDR and is passionate about creating a safe space for individuals to work through their traumas; she holds trauma certifications from Regent Center for Trauma Studies.  She has served as an adjunct instructor at Liberty University and regularly provides supervision to counselors in training.  Josie believes that evidence-based practice can be enhanced by integrating biblical principles and is dedicated to cultivating holistic transformation in the individuals she serves. 

Josie is a native of Long Island, New York.  She has an undergraduate degree from Liberty University in Communication Studies with a minor in Psychology.  She completed her graduate work at Regent University and earned degrees in Clinical, Marriage and Family Therapy, and School Counseling.  During her time as a school counselor, she served as Child Study Chair and since has been contracted by her local school division to complete assessments for children identified as needing special education services and is a helpful resource for parents navigating this process.  Josie is a member of the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and serves on the Board of Directors of Virginia Counselors Association (VCA) as President for the family counseling division (VACFC).  She is also a member of American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). 

Josie lives in Forest, VA and has been married to Erik since 2003 and they have been blessed with 2 teenage daughters and one fur baby, a Siberian Husky named Aspen.  She enjoys traveling abroad, hiking, Holy Yoga, decorating and antiquing, and making jewelry out of recycled items.  She has had the privilege of speaking at local, regional, national, and international professional conferences on best practices for Play Therapy, Dialectical Therapy, Trauma Informed Care and integrating biblical principles into evidence base practice.