Begin with Understanding
When learning feels hard, it's easy to believe something is wrong with you.
We see it differently.
Struggle is a clue. It's a signal about how your mind actually works and what it needs to learn best.
We help you through the struggle by drawing on strengths that often go unnoticed.
When we understand how you learn, we can finally address what's actually hard.
Not Sure What Kind of Support You Need?
Let's first understand the different types of support available. Tutoring, educational therapy, and coaching are not the same thing. The differences matter because the right support depends entirely on what's actually getting in the way.​​
Tutoring addresses WHAT you're learning.
Subject-specific help with content, homework, and test prep, re-teaching material to lift grades in the near term. A good tutor knows their subject well, but tutoring isn't designed to identify or address underlying learning differences.​​​​
​Educational Therapy addresses HOW you learn.
The deepest of the three, and the heart of what I do. Rather than focus on one subject, it looks at the whole learner, working at the root of challenges like dyslexia, ADHD, processing or memory differences, and learning-related anxiety to build lasting, independent skills.
Educational Coaching addresses how you MANAGE the work.
For the student whose ability is there but whose systems aren't (planning, organizing, managing time, following through). Coaching builds the executive function habits that turn capability into results, with or without an ADHD diagnosis.​
Not sure where you fall? You don't have to. Figuring that out together is exactly what a first conversation is for.
Ways to Work Together
Educational Therapy
Addresses how you learn. The core of the practice: one-on-one work that gets to the root of persistent learning challenges and rebuilds the underlying skills learning depends on. For students who need real, lasting, independent progress.
Parent Coaching
For the parents doing the daily work. Together we make sense of your child's diagnosis, set up home systems that help them thrive, and build calmer, more confident ways to respond so you can navigate the ups and downs with more steadiness.
Educational Coaching
Addresses how you manage the work. For students whose ability is there, but whose systems aren't. We build the executive-function habits (planning, organizing, time management, follow-through...) that turn capability into steady results, with or without a diagnosis.
Advocacy & School Support
Help where home meets school: making sense of evaluations, preparing for IEP and 504 meetings, and advocating for the right accommodations so your child's needs are clearly understood and met.
It's hard to recognize your strengths when learning feels frustrating every day.
​
But they're there—right alongside your challenges and often the very traits that get overlooked or misunderstood. A big part of our work is finding them.
​
Using research-backed tools, practical strategies, and genuine curiosity, we figure out how you learn best so you're not just coping. You're building skills that help you thrive.
​
And wherever you are—struggling, stuck, or somewhere in between—we meet you there and build from what's already working. Your individuality was never a problem to solve. It's where we start.
Universal Design for Learning
There's no single "right" way to learn, so there shouldn't be a single way to teach. My approach is grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-backed framework for building instruction around real human variability instead of a one-size-fits-all default.
​
In practice, that means we don't try to force you into a method that works for someone else. We design the how around you: How you engage, how information reaches you, and how you show what you know. It's the difference between a student adapting to the material and material that adapts to the student.
How We Begin
Everyone is different, so no two plans look the same, but the path in is consistent and low-pressure.
1
First, a real conversation
We talk (about 15-20 minutes) about what's going on, what you've already tried, and what you're hoping for. No commitment, no jargon. Just a chance to see if this feels like the right fit.
2
Then, I get to know you
Before recommending anything, I take time to understand your specific strengths, challenges, and patterns. The plan comes after the understanding, never before.
3
We Build—and Adjust
We put strategies into practice, notice what's working, and refine as we go. Progress isn't a straight line, and the plan is meant to flex as you grow.
The first conversation is free.
Julie founded Open Mind Learning to help students better understand how they learn while building the skills, confidence, and self-awareness that create lasting change.
​
Her approach blends educational therapy, executive function support, and individualized learning strategies with warmth, curiosity, and genuine connection. Julie works with students from elementary school through adulthood, helping them navigate learning differences, academic challenges, and the emotional weight that can come with struggling in school.
​
At the heart of her work is a simple belief: when students understand how they learn and where they thrive, they can begin to trust themselves again.
25+ years' education experience
M.A. in Education
ADHD Certified Educator
AET Member
UDL Level 1
Meet Julie Ann Scarlata
Who We Work With
Educational therapy is for anyone who learns differently and needs more than a classroom or a tutor can offer. If any of these sound familiar, we can help.
Struggling Without Clear Answers
Homework takes hours. Assignments get avoided. Confidence starts slipping, even when the effort is there. Together, we identify what's actually getting in the way and build a plan that supports both learning and self-esteem.
Students & Adults with Learning Differences
Your child may have dyslexia, ADHD, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, autism, or executive function challenges. And despite the supports with their 504 or IEP, school still feels harder than it should. We help students build strategies that work with how their brains learn best.
Student Athletes
Student athletes balance demanding schedules, academic pressure, and high expectations. We help them build executive function, communication, and self-advocacy skills that support success in school, sports, college, and beyond.
The Real Goal
Better grades are usually part of the picture, but they're rarely the whole point. What we're really after is the shift underneath:
​
You stop bracing against your own mind and start trusting it. You have tools you can name and reach for on your own. You can explain what you need and ask for it. And slowly, the story changes from "something's wrong with me" to "I know how I learn, and I know what to do about it."
​
That's the kind of confidence that doesn't wash out after one good report card. It carries through the rest of your life.