Family of Origin
The family we grew up in shapes us in ways we often don't see until they start showing up everywhere: in our relationships, our reactions, the stories we tell about ourselves.
Old wounds and early messages have a way of running quietly in the background, long after we've left the room they were formed in. The way you respond when someone gets close. The way you shut down when conflict comes. The voice that says you're too much, or not enough, or that you have to earn your place. Those aren't just personality traits. They're patterns, and they have a history. The work is bringing them into the light, understanding their hold, and finally rewriting what no longer belongs to you.
What family of origin work actually means
It doesn't mean blaming your parents. It means getting honest about what you learned, what was modeled for you, what was asked of you that shouldn't have been, and what you needed that wasn't available. Most of us are doing our best with what we were given. But understanding what we were given is how we stop passing it on: to our relationships, our children, ourselves.
This work often begins when people notice they're repeating patterns. A relationship that looks like the one their parents had. A reaction that belongs to a ten-year-old version of themselves. A belief about their worth that traces back further than they expected.
How we approach it
I take a psychodynamic lens, which means we take the past seriously as a way of understanding the present. We're not staying in the past. We're using it to make sense of now, and to build something different going forward.
This work takes some courage. It means looking at things that are easier to avoid. But there's real relief in finally understanding where something came from, and in realizing it doesn't have to run your life anymore.
A place to do this work
I live and work in this community. The Snoqualmie Valley is full of families building something new, and this work is part of that.
I see clients in Issaquah, Sammamish, North Bend, Snoqualmie, and the Eastside. Telehealth is available throughout Washington. Start with a free 15-minute call.
Hi, I'm Julie.
I've spent over nine years doing this work, and my love for it has only grown. What most of us are searching for, beneath the anxiety and the conflict and the numbness, is connection. To ourselves, to the people we love, to something that actually feels true.
I bring my full self into the room. I'm direct when that helps, and I know how to be quiet when that's what matters. I'm not here to fix you. You're not broken. I'm here to help you see yourself more clearly and trust what you find.
I live in North Bend and practice in Issaquah. I show up in this community the same way I show up in the room with you. Present, honest, and all in.
MA, Marriage & Family Therapy · Hope International University
BA, Psychology · Vanguard University
Trained in: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Gottman Method, Psychodynamic Therapy, Attachment Theory
You've been thinking about this long enough.
Schedule a free 15-minute call. Share what's bringing you in, ask whatever you want to ask, and see if it feels like a good fit.