What Lights Julia's Fire

COUNSELING

I love being a therapist.  I’m not one of those people who has wrestled with what to do with her life.  I’ve always known what I wanted to do and have not been disappointed.  I love meeting people and discovering who they are inside….sometimes being the first person in their life to enter that territory.  Talk about an honor.  It’s like opening a door and showing someone this beautiful, rich, complex world that exists, that they carry around with them daily and yet don’t even know it’s there – like untapped gold.  I treasure the sacred trust created by my clients and me as they become increasingly more vulnerable and open their hearts.  People frequently wonder, “Don’t you get depressed always hearing about people’s problems?”  I used to, but not any more.  With experience, I’ve come to appreciate the amazing resiliency people possess….and the creative solutions they can come up with.  No one is hopeless.  With three qualities….what I call “The Three C’s” – people can overcome amazingly difficult circumstances and see symptoms disappear.  The Three C’s are:

Curiosity Compassion Commitment

CURIOSITY refers to learning how to “observe yourself” in order to gain perspective.  It is important to notice how we get ourselves stuck – what our destructive patterns are – what we do with our feelings, etc.  Children come by this trait naturally if they are encouraged to question “Why?’ (If you’ve ever had a 3 year-old, you know what I’m talking about!)

It’s not judging an experience – but rather noticing it.

COMPASSION refers to how to hold ourselves with love as we are learning.  It’s an appreciation for what we’ve been through….an understanding of the circumstances that may have set something in motion that we had no control over.  Compassion helps us stop being so terribly hard on ourselves.

COMMITMENT is sticking to the process until it is complete.  This means that once I say, "I want my life to change", I hang in there through the inevitable ups and downs of the process.  It’s accepting that there will be rough spots (which is why it’s helpful to have a guide!).  One of my mentors, Gay Hendricks, talks about this in many of his books.  In Five Wishes, he talks about making a commitment to the woman who would become his wife.  He committed to create a passionate, creative lifelong relationship with her.  He writes, “As the love grew between us, we saw over and over that the power of commitment brings to the surface the deep fears, old wounds and habit-patterns that need to be released in order to give and receive love fully in the present.” (p. 39)

RETREATS/SEMINARS

I love teaching in this type of format.  I love the energy and creativity that gets generated when a group of people come together to explore a common theme.  I love that people take time out of their busy lives to be more intentional about the kind of life they wish to create.  My desire to expand into offering seminars came out of my own personal retreat. I was still enjoying my therapy practice, but had that restless sense that “something was missing.”  When I gave myself the space to be quiet, what became clear was that it was time to branch out.  I was no longer restless, but instead felt excited about the next chapter. 

Since then, I’ve facilitated different seminars including:

Women Creating Balance in Their Lives

Seminars for Clergy Spouses

Seminars for Couples – co-taught with my husband, Peter

Creating a Vibrant Workplace
I am still listening, and exploring what other seminars I might lead in the future.

JULIA MUNSON, L.C.S.W.
Rev. PETER MUNSON

People often ask me what kind of therapy I do, or what kind of clients I work with.  People are not all that different in terms of what they need and want.  They come into treatment, however, with different symptoms and problems in living.  I work in the following areas:

Anxiety
Mid-Life Struggles
Depression 
Sexual Abuse
Eating Disorders                               
Chronic Pain
Trauma                                                           
Transition to College
Issues around Divorce                                              
Parenting Questions/Concerns

Couples
Clergy Spouse/Clergy Couples

Compassionate Therapy Institute, Inc. • 9972 W. 86th Ave. • Arvada, CO 80005
For Additional Information about counseling, workshops, or public speaking: 303-986-8660