Birkelund appeared in films Letters from a Killer (1998), The Bone Collector (1999), Uninvited (1999), Far from Heaven (2002), and on made for television movies Night Sins and On the Edge of Innocence (1997). She guest-starred on Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street, Star Trek: Voyager, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Third Watch, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and The Good Wife. In 2014, Birkelund had a recurring role in the ABC drama Black Box.