Pathways to Healing Therapy
Supporting individuals and couples heal their relationships to themselves and others.
Julie Guterres (she/her)
M.S.W., R.S.W
Creating warm relationships with scary feelings is an art. It is the art of getting closer to what is actually happening in the present and to move with it while remaining interested, embodied and flexible.
-Michael Stone
Registered Social Worker, Psychotherapist
Welcome!
I am so glad you have found your way here. Oftentimes, people experience barriers or issues in life that leave them struggling, unable to cope and overwhelmed. I believe that therapy is a courageous journey to undertake and I want to reassure you that whatever it is that brings you here today, I will be there to support you in discovering what you need to build a life that feels meaningful, authentic and worth living.
In my practice I offer a space for us to get to know your life’s journey and to get close to those parts of you that may have been dismissed, disapproved of or harmed in some way. A space where we can get to know where it hurts and why. A place where all of you is welcome and will be met with acceptance, curiosity, and empathy. In our sessions you will always be the expert on your experience. I am there to offer the container for whatever you bring to our sessions as we walk beside one another to make sense of your life’s history and bring healing and care to all that you are.
My approach to therapy is, first and foremost, Relational. This means that the relationship between myself and my clients provides an anchor of safety, trust, and care from which one’s inner experience can be explored.
As a Relational therapist, I am interested in understanding how your relationships, both your past and present, childhood and adulthood operate. In hearing your story, we look for patterns together. People often relate to others in the same way they have in the past. Understanding these patterns can lead to breaking out of the ones that may be no longer serving you. We will explore new ways of being together with others, ways that are good for you and the unique person you are and striving to be.
I am also interested in understanding your relationship to your thoughts, feelings, memories, experiences, and your world. When it comes to mental health challenges often related to trauma and loss, we (understandably) struggle against our pain and the circumstances that surround it, often in an effort to forget or push away what hurts. However, this can lead us to avoid or ignore our pain, giving us short-term relief, but potentially exposing us to long-term issues. My approach is to support you in curiously observing and compassionately validating your pain as you build a new relationship with it.
I am skilled at and informed by the following therapeutic modalities:
-Narrative Therapy
-Internal Family Systems Therapy
-Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT)
My main areas of focus:
-Family Dynamics/Relationship Issues
-Trauma/Resilience
-Mental Health/Health (Mood Disorders, Psychotic Disorders, Madness)
I currently work virtually through phone or video and provide psychotherapy to individuals and couples residing in Ontario and British Columbia who are 16 years or older. I provide in person services on Friday at 1537 W 8th Ave Vancouver, BC V6J 1T5.