Julia is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at the University of British Columbia. She will be working with clients under the supervision of Dr. Debbie Leung during her time at Wise Mind.

She completed her B.A. at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her M.Sc. at the Vrije Univeristeit Amsterdam, in the Netherlands focused in risk-taking behaviour in bipolar disorder. Her dissertation research, supervised by Dr. Grace Iarocci and Dr. Mariana Brussoni, investigates correlates of outdoor risky play in children with anxiety and ADHD diagnoses.

Julia has worked with children, teens, and adults struggling with symptoms of autism, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, trauma, and depression. She has helped her clients with their experiences of anxiety, panic, depression and interpersonal challenges. Julia’s training has focused in evidence-based approaches, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, and her approach to therapy is person-centred. She aims to work together with clients to build a trusting therapeutic relationship, process and understand emotions and experiences, identify goals, and take active, real life steps to achieving those goals. In her work she hopes to provide a warm, accepting environment that fosters self-compassion, and make space for the diverse experiences and challenges that her clients may face.