Julia Porter

BIO

As a pre-licensed counselor practicing under clinical supervision, I believe therapy can be a helpful space to slow everything down— a place to feel your feelings, find connection, deepen your self-knowledge, and turn towards the parts of your experience that may feel too difficult or painful to navigate on your own. 

I consider myself a holistic therapist. Part of this means that I integrate techniques and frameworks from mindfulness and contemplative practice, parts work, and somatic (body-based) practices with more traditional talk therapy to attend to the different corners of your life and experiences, mind-body-spirit. In more ~technical~ terms, my training is in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling, Somatic Gestalt Therapy, Focusing, and Internal Family Systems. But beyond theory and technique, being a holistic therapist also means holding the realness of our sociopolitical climate, factors impacting the human collective, cultural context, intergenerational influences, and the infinite other ways in which our identities, lived experiences, and interconnectedness deeply impact how we relate to ourselves and the world around us. 

It’s important to me that we co-create an authentic and anti-oppressive healing space where you feel safe and uplifted. I bring my curiosity, warmth, gentleness, humor and transparency to the process and always invite you to bring your full self too! Therapy is a consensual, collaborative and dynamic process, so we will go at your pace, focusing on the interventions that feel most supportive to you, and leaving the rest.

Knowing and understanding our past, our parts, our identities and how our bodies process can deeply impact our relationship with ourselves and others. I truly believe all humans are fundamentally whole, have inner wisdom, and are naturally wired towards healing and wellness if we can just provide the space, capacity and resources to let that wholeness flourish. It brings me great joy to help folks I work with connect to these qualities within themselves and find new ways to thrive. I am so glad you are here, taking this step for yourself, and it is with much warmth and humility that I say it would be an honor to explore with you on your healing path. 

Some areas of my experience include, but aren’t limited to: anxiety, depression/mood, grief/loss, trauma work, relationship challenges, self compassion, LGBTQIA+ folx, ADHD/AuDHD, artists and creatives, and current and former sex workers.

I am a queer and non-binary, neurodivergent, born-and-raised Midwesterner. I completed my master's in Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling at Naropa University. When I am not working, I can be found taking plenty of walks, soaking up the bits of nature scattered throughout the city, working on DIY home projects, spending lots of playful time with my two sweet kitties, immersing myself in Chicago’s creative communities, and rewatching Hayao Miyazaki’s films.