About Julia R.
My life experiences and opportunities have carved a path for me to work with children, teens, and families. I feel very fortunate to do work that is interesting, engaging, meaningful, and often delightful. I am surprised and pleasantly overwhelmed by the experiences I get to share with clients, and the ways they teach me about life and what is possible. I especially enjoy seeing the ways life can unfold for children and teens as they learn how small changes can lead to powerful shifts in how they experience the world. I am frequently amazed at the ways that families can work to heal and fix what is not working, when given the support to do so.
I believe that therapy can offer a sense of safety for the mind and body to have and notice experiences in different ways. With these new experiences, change occurs; a new sense of self-expertise creates safety and self-reliance that continues after therapy ends. I have seen this new sense of self in kids, teens, and parents. These shared experiences change me, too!
I want my clients to know that we will NOT just sit and talk, that doing things together and sharing experiences is very important to me. Feeling comfortable and engaged is important for building trust, but also for having a brain and body that is ready to think and work on challenges. Sharing experiences also helps everyone be genuine and feel better understood.
I seek to welcome clients who feel isolated, “different”, or that they are the only ones who don’t know how to handle different situations. I help these clients understand that therapy is less about “fixing” the problem and more about gathering information and skills to help navigate the world. All humans are a work in progress, which is another way of saying we are all constantly finding ourselves in need of new learning. Being willing to change takes a lot of strength; just coming for therapy is a sign of great potential! I love this quote from Charlie Mackesy: “Asking for help isn’t giving up, it’s refusing to give up.”
I work to make sessions with kids, teens, and families reliably comfortable, often fun, and always open to creativity. I try to be transparent and help everyone feel respected. Playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and understanding are my guides. I think it’s a good thing when clients can disagree, ask questions, or say they have a different idea. Speaking up is a sign of investment in our work.
In addition to my direct work with children, youth, and teens I also work closely with their parents/adults. My work with parents is to help support them, share the interventions and tools their children are learning, and help plan and problem solve how they can further support their child at home and advocate for them at school/in the community.
When I’m not at work, you might find me out for a walk, meditating, spending time with friends and family, or at the library. I collect quotes, fun socks, and persist in sending mail to people the old fashioned way - with a postage stamp! Knowing how to enjoy life helps me to live in kind, generous, and helpful ways.
“I believe that therapy can offer a sense of safety for the mind and body to have and notice experiences in different ways. With these new experiences, change occurs; a new sense of self-expertise creates safety and self-reliance that continues after therapy ends.”
- Julia Rodriguez, LCPC, OTR (She/Her)
Julia is a therapist fellow at Empower Family Therapy. She has completed her MA in Counseling Psychology and her Master of Occupational Therapy. She is a licensed clinical professional counselor and registered occupational therapist. Julia receives direct supervision under Aubrey Reynolds, LMFT.
To schedule an appointment with Julia, contact us and mention her name.
Julia’S SPECIALTIES INCLUDE:
Depression, Anxiety, Autism and other developmental disorders: support for the child/youth and their parents
Understanding and embracing diagnoses for children/youth and their parents: Neurodivergence (autism & ADHD), depression, and anxiety
Medical conditions, treatment experiences, and medical anxiety for children/youth and their parents
Identity and independence development for neurodivergent youth and their parents
Using mind/Body awareness to improve regulation for children/youth