FIND MEANING AND WELLBEING IN DIFFICULT TIMES
When you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or stuck, you may also be at the edge of something—a place between stages, in life or relationships. My aim is to offer you a safe and open place to explore these passages: wherever you are, wherever you’ve been and wherever you’re going.
Urgent matters, transitions, and old habits that no longer serve you can be daunting when you try to navigate them alone. I’ll meet you where you are and help you find what you need and want in your life right now. In a kind, nonjudgmental space we’ll attend to all the parts of you that you want to explore.
I specialize in helping people who are:
— experiencing anxiety or difficult situations
— thinking that they should be doing things differently somehow
— meditators wanting to work on what’s coming up in their meditation practice
anxiety
life transitions
aging and its challenges
working with difficult situations and people
loss
women's issues
environmental anxiety and grief
meditators seeking individual therapeutic support
In therapy with me you’ll find engaged accompaniment as you navigate life’s challenges. My style is attentive, warm, grounded, accepting…and at times, humorous. I approach each treatment uniquely— because I view each client as a unique person with their own distinct needs.
I became a therapist after earning an MFA in Poetry and working 10 years in environmental action and finance. Along the way, I’ve trained extensively in mindfulness practices and insight meditation in the Vipassana lineage. Currently, I'm on the certification path with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach in their two-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program.
Education, Certification and Training
Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT # 101575: 2017
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) Externship & Core Skills, NCCEFT: 2017
Narrative Therapy, Level 1 Certification, Vancouver School of Narrative Therapy: 2017
Forgiveness Training, NCCEFT: 2017
MA, Integral Counseling Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies: 2017
Practicum, Golden Gate Integral Counseling Center: 2016-2017
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) Immersion Course with Diane Fosha: 2015
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Practicum & Teaching Assistant to Bob Stahl: 2014
Karuna Training in Contemplative Psychology, Shambhala of San Francisco: 2014
If you would like to discuss working with me, reach out via phone or email. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
Julia Ward
(415) 562-5228
“If you want to understand your mind,
sit down and observe it.”
Curious about meditation but unsure where to start? Individual training offers an opportunity to learn the foundations one-on-one, ensuring time and space for the kinds of questions that inevitably come up when we first start meditating.
After identifying your hopes and intentions for bringing mindfulness into your life, our sessions will focus on foundational practices: sitting meditation, loving-kindness and self-compassion practices.
Together, we'll develop a meditation practice that suits you—one tailored to your life right now.
