Hi there! I’m Julie ~

People often want to know a little about me and why I do this work. I actually didn’t start out studying psychology, although it’s always interested me. My undergraduate degree is in Business of all things. Why? Because that was the degree I had the most hours toward and I just wanted to get on with my life! I really had no idea what I would do with my education, and I had a few sales/marketing jobs, including being a pharmaceutical sales rep. I kind of cringe about that (as you might be doing right now), but I can also acknowledge that I learned a lot, particularly about what I didn’t want to spend my working life doing.

One morning I was in the bedroom putting on my shoes and getting ready for work, when my partner came in and said, “You look miserable.” I broke down in tears and then into a seemingly endless monologue, blubbering about all sorts of ways I hated my job, felt depressed and hopeless, and basically how I didn’t know how to get myself out of my stuck space. He looked at me and said, “So what do you want to do?”

That question, as simple as it was, changed my life. I actually knew that I wanted to work with people to overcome struggles in their lives, but I wasn’t sure how to make it happen in a way that felt good to me. I spent the next several weeks of my therapy exploring my options. Within a year I was in grad school, headed toward the life I always wanted to live.

Don’t get me wrong. I still face challenges from time to time. We all do. Some of those challenges are professional. Some are with my partner, my daughter, other family members and friends. But with both my clients and myself, I choose to focus on our strengths to effectively cope with and overcome the obstacles we’re facing.

Sometimes that’s all we need, someone to reframe things or ask just the right question to spark an exploration. And that’s part of what I do for my clients every day, moving them towards living the life that is most authentic to them.

I’d love the chance to talk with you about whether we might be a good fit to help you live a life that feels more meaningful and authentic to you. Contact me at 503-961-9200 or julie@juliewilliamspsyd.com and let’s set up a free 20-minute consultation. I look forward to connecting.