Get To Know Julie Dobson, LMHC, LLC

My latest favorite quote:
"You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously." 
~Sophia Bush

I was born and raised in Miami, FL. My father was a fisherman. Now he's a "mountain man." My mother was a secretary, bartender, receptionist, hostess... She is now struggling with Dementia. My parents were somehow able to afford sending me to private schools. I went to Jose Marti Elementary School, Sts. Peter & Paul Middle School, and Ransom Everglades High School. I fell in love with Psychology and Jungian Dream Analysis in the 11th grade. I majored in Psychology at Rollins College. And I got my Master Degree in Mental Health Counseling at the University of Miami in 1993. My first job in the field was at a substance abuse treatment program for women with children where I worked for seven years. I met my husband that same year that I started there. We got married in 2000 and we had our first daughter in 2001. I was able to stay home for a while and started building my private practice. Our second daughter was born in 2003.

Primarily, I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - changing how we think and what we do to create different outcomes and feel better about ourselves and life. We talk to ourselves all the time, and it's mostly negative. The more we can do to decrease the negative self-talk and increase the positive, the better. Sometimes we have to go back and resolve issues from the past in order to release them. The more we can focus on the here and now, the better. Changing our lives can be simple, but it's not usually very easy. It takes time and practice - and the patience to love yourself from beginning to end.