About Me

Biography

My name is Julie, and I've been a practicing therapist for the past 10 years. I’m a Bay Area native, and appreciate the area for the diversity of people it attracts. I was drawn to psychology through a desire to better understand why and how we are the way we are. I am absolutely fascinated by family dynamics and how our family of origin impacts our future relationships. I nerd out over attachment theory, and will be curious to hear all about your relationship patterns. I strive to understand what is preventing someone from being their most contented self, and work to solve it. Basically, I’m intrigued by YOU (not the netflix show, although I did enjoy it).

I like to think of myself as funny, but you can be the judge of that. I am warm, down-to-earth, and will likely try to make you smile at least once per session. I have two cats and a dog who might make appearances in our virtual sessions, and I generally wish we could be having class outside. I identify as a millenial (a Harry Potter reference or two may find their way into our sessions), and perhaps relate a little bit too much with 90’s nostalgia. I love tennis, yoga, travel, cooking and live music.

How I Work With Clients

My primary goal is to ensure that therapy with me is a good experience for you. It may be hard, uncomfortable and heavy at times, but I will never leave you feeling worse after a session than where we began. Rapport is extremely important to me, and I will strive to find a pace and style that works for you. I bring my whole, authentic self to therapy, and I ask that you do the same. I use a mix of psychodynamic, emotion-focused, attachment and narrative therapy in my practice, tailoring to each individual client.

Therapeutic Approach

I believe that we all want, and have the capacity, to heal. I look at my job as guiding you through that natural process, clearing out any obstacles that may stand in your way. We all accumulate healthy and unhealthy defenses through our lifetime— I will help you let go of the defenses that no longer serve you. These defenses can look like depression, anxiety, relationship issues, or substance abuse. I have worked extensively in all of these areas, along with work stress and burnout, imposter syndrome and perfectionism. I have experience working with a diverse population; all are welcome here.

Teaching and Supervising

I have been teaching and supervising developing therapists for the past several years for Sentio University. We focus on Deliberate Practice, using recorded sessions to concretely practice skills. I do offer supervision and consultation to therapists outside of Sentio, so please feel free to reach out if interested. My training is largely in Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy, and I have helped new and experienced therapist integrate AEDP and ISTDP into their practice.