Welcome back to Conversations with Clinicians where we interview one of our associate therapists. We like to give you this opportunity to learn more about the way that they work. Moreover, they give us some great tips and resources that we hope you’ll find helpful. Today, meet Julie Peters. She is a California therapist providing Telehealth therapy.
What is Your Therapeutic Orientation?
Psychodynamic theory is my foundational training
AND I have training to work in the modalities of:
- Motivational Interviewing
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapies
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
What Are Your Areas of Specialty?
- Addiction Recovery
- Eating Disorders
- PTSD
- LGBTQIA++
- Grief/loss
- Mood Disorders
- Life Transitions
What Other Modalities Inform Your Work?
I have a specialty in drama therapy as I studied at California Institute of Integral Studies, one of only a few schools in the country accredited by the North American Drama Therapy Association.
What Is It Like To Work With You?
I am very kind. I listen very deeply to the narratives of my clients, and I remain curious about the unique personality traits and strengths of every individual.
My clients usually say that due to my deep listening skills, I am able to offer valuable questions/insight previously unconsidered by them.
I’m also skilled at Identifying patterns that cause folks to get a bit stuck, and I can offer ways to shift thoughts and behaviors.
Who do you LOVE Working With?
I love working with folks who are experiencing major life transitions. These transitions can come in a myriad of forms. Folks who decide to have a new relationship with what they have previously been addicted to or have acted on compulsively are transitioning. Folks who have moved to a new city or have begun or ended a friendship or partnership are also transitioning and acclimating to a new way of navigating their world. I think these transitional moments are rife for therapeutic growth.
What most inspires you about doing this work?
I am most inspired by the ways clients harness creativity to make change. There is something so powerful and also comforting about learning, time after time, how resilient human beings really are.
See what inspires some of our other associate therapists about the work.
What do you do outside of the work to stay inspired?
I worked as an actor, director, teaching artist, professor, and stage manager during my twenties and early thirties, so I like to sing and get involved in theatre projects outside of work. My theatre work led me to the path of becoming a therapist. Character studies in theatre work have much in common with learning about the motivations and experiences of clients.
See some other non-therapy modalities that might inform your therapist’s work.
If you could sum up in one sentence why someone might go to therapy, what would you say?
Therapy can provide insight and clarity and a feeling of not being alone.
What is one thing that clients might be surprised to learn about you?
I am currently learning the paper art of quilling which consists of rolling and twisting tiny strips of paper to create art projects.
What is one takeaway moment that you’d like to share from your own experience as a client in therapy?
I have had moments in my own therapy work that have completely altered my perspective about the way I think about myself and the way I think about my challenges. This alteration has enabled me to create a healthier life.
Give Us Your Recommendations …
We want to know what you recommend as …
The Best Places to Laugh and Cry in the SF Bay Area?
1) Seal Cove Beach
2) Point Reyes
3) The SF Ferry that crosses the bay from Alameda and Oakland to SF
4) Watching the pelicans at Crown Memorial Park in Alameda
5) The Wind Harp in San Francisco
See recommendations from our other associate therapists about where to laugh and cry.
The Best Free Self-Care?
1) Meditation
2) “Sing-alongs” to a favorite playlist
3) Hiking/walking
4) Any type of creative outlet such as writing, painting, composing, dancing, acting, etc.
5) Boardgames
See more affordable self care recommendations from our associate therapists here.
The Best Self-Care If You Have Extra Funds?
1) Massage
2) Gym workouts/fitness classes
3) Art classes
4) Travel
5) Spiritual Retreats if that appeals to one’s palette
Favorite Therapy Books?
1) “Power, Resistance and Liberation in Therapy with Survivors of Trauma: To Have Our Hearts Broken” by Taiwo Afuape
2) “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts” by Gabor Mate
3) “Acting for Real” by Renee Emunah
4) “Love’s Executioner” by Irwin D. Yalom
See some of our other therapists’ book recommendations here.
Favorite Non-therapy books?
1) “Sweat”: A Play by Lynne Nottage
2) “Necessary Targets”: A Play by Eve Ensler
3) “The Kitchen God’s Wife” by Amy Tan
4) “Country of Ash: A Jewish Doctor in Poland, 1939 1945” by Edward Reicher
Other Media Favorites?
Film: “Life as a House”
Song: “Revolutionary Love” by Ani DiFranco
Podcast: “UnF*ck Your Brain” by Kara Loewentheil
Favorite Quotes?
“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique.” by Martha Graham
“I’ve lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they’re more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they’re burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes of their children – they live. Death usually has to take life away. I don’t know if that’s just the animal. I don’t know if it’s not braver to die, but I recognize the habit; the addiction to being alive. So we live past hope. If I can find hope anywhere, that’s it, that’s the best I can do. It’s so much not enough. It’s so inadequate. But still bless me anyway. I want more life.” by Tony Kushner, “Angels in America”
Closing Thoughts
The most valuable insight to clients seem to be when the concepts of therapy enable or unburdened them to view their life narratives from a different perspective. I am uniquely positioned to go on this journey as a guide.
How can potential clients contact you?
Julie Peters
Associate Professional Clinical Counseling #6432
Supervised by Dr. Erin Harrell Psychologist #27303
https://www.juliekpeterstherapy.com/
E-mail: julie.peters@mindfulcenter.org
Phone: (510) 973-4732
You can also contact us at Center for Mindful Psychotherapy to learn more about working with Julie Peters or any of our associate therapists.