Drawn to the relational aspects of the therapeutic process, Julia achieved a Master of Science in Social Work while specializing in couples and family therapy at the University of Louisville. With a dual theoretical background, Julia views the therapeutic landscape through a multisystemic lens integrating the micro, mezzo, macro, and family systems perspectives. Julia believes in the power of relationships as she feels that they help to navigate difficult life transitions and provide greater meaning to our world. Therefore, she works to create a strong therapeutic alliance with the identified client, family, and treatment team.
Fueled by both her passion for family therapy as well as the healing elements of nature, Julia has worked in a variety of roles within the field of wilderness therapy and has created space for students and families in diverse field areas from Utah’s West Desert to the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, and now the Four Corners Area. Within all of these spaces, Julia has enjoyed guiding students’ and families’ therapeutic processes through ceremonies and experiential activities in addition to traditional therapeutic modalities. Experienced in working with individuals, couples, and families from diverse backgrounds, Julia is able to support students through intensive clinical assessment to identify core issues for accurate identification of presenting mental health issues. A specialty of Julia’s is diagnosing and working with female gendered students on the spectrum due to specific presentation and complexity in traditional assessment tools. Julia’s other specialties lie in working with grief and loss, trauma, and relational conflict. As an analytical thinker, Julia enjoys mapping out and connecting meaning through thorough assessment and creative intervention.
As a therapist, Julia works to provide an anchor or safe attachment base to create an environment for the client to begin the process of healing and growth. From here, Julia creates meaningful spaces for clients to explore complex vulnerable emotions through the use of metaphor and emotional expression. To provide greater support for her students experiences related to grief and trauma, Julia has been trained in and practices Brainspotting. Julia additionally pulls from experiential approaches such as techniques of emotionally focused therapy and animal assisted therapy to cultivate change. As a systemic therapist, Julia works to expand the client system to include families and partners to increase progress toward treatment goals and to create lasting change. With a background in teaching yoga, she incorporates mindfulness and breathing techniques into her sessions to promote grounding experiences as well as to support clients in increasing awareness of their external and internal worlds.
As a trail runner and climber, Julia has experienced first-hand the healing effects of the natural world through self-reflection, increased confidence through natural challenges, and the power of relationships with adventure partners. Spending unstructured time exploring the outdoors is very grounding for Julia and helps provide connection to the self. As a maker, Julia is always finding new creative projects incorporating fabric arts, recycled materials, growing and utilizing plants, or whatever brings inspiration to each new piece. When not on the rock/trail, you can find Julia enjoying time with her two dogs, Ezra and Fjor, exploring a desert, stream, forest, or the open road.