JULIA HALE, LICSW, ACT, (she/her)

FOUNDER/OWNER AND PSYCHOTHERAPIST

Hi, I'm Julia. I'm a licensed independent clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and the founder of Soultality. For more than 17 years, I've helped people navigate OCD, anxiety, perfectionism, and the very human experience of wishing your brain would just calm down for a minute.

I received my BA in Psychology from the University of Vermont and my MSW, Summa Cum Laude, from New York University. My advanced training includes Boston University’s CBT certificate program, the International OCD Foundation’s Advanced Behavior Therapy Training Institute, Diplomate status through the Academy of Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, and extensive training and consultation in ERP and ACT.

One of the most humbling parts of doing this work for nearly two decades is realizing that there is always more to learn. I’m constantly seeking out advanced training, consultation, and the latest research so that my work continues to reflect the most current evidence-based treatments. I never want experience to become a reason to get too comfortable. My clients deserve a therapist who remains curious, keeps learning, and is willing to evolve alongside the field!

Earlier in my career, I worked everywhere from New York City homeless services to hospital-based psychiatry at Mount Auburn Hospital. Those experiences helped shape my belief that good therapy has to consider the whole person, not just a diagnosis.

I have a particular passion for working with women and moms, especially during pregnancy, postpartum, and the many messy stages of motherhood that come after. My own experience with postpartum anxiety deepened both my personal and professional commitment to this work. I have advanced training in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International (PSI) and am one of the co-leaders of the International OCD Foundation’s Perinatal Special Interest Group.

Education is also a big part of my work. I regularly provide training, presentations, consultation, and supervision to other mental health professionals on OCD, perinatal mental health, and related disorders. I love helping clinicians better recognize OCD—particularly the presentations that are often misunderstood or missed—and feel more confident providing evidence-based treatment.

I especially love working with high-achieving people who look very put together on the outside while internally wondering why they still don’t feel like they’re doing enough. Many of my clients are women in academia, technology, law, medicine, consulting, and other demanding fields. I understand the perfectionism, pressure, and relentless internal expectations that can come with these environments and I’m much more interested in helping people build meaningful lives than teaching them how to optimize themselves even more.

As a therapist, I’m warm, collaborative, direct, and not particularly interested in being a blank slate. I use humor, I’m human, and I genuinely enjoy getting to know my clients. I also have enormous respect for the courage it takes to show up and willingly do hard and uncomfortable things in service of getting your life back.

Outside of work, I’m a mom of two, a runner, a skier, and a live-music enthusiast who has been known to travel unreasonable distances for a concert. I love spending time with my husband and kids and, like most working moms, am perpetually trying to figure out what’s for dinner.