About Dr. Julie Heier, PhD —Licensed Psychologist
I am a self-care expert and teach proven strategies to manage life stressors and the impact on relationships and your wellbeing. I have the highest level of training as a licensed clinical psychologist and my experience includes working at the top hospitals in the country. I am a health psychologist -meaning I emphasize how the mind and body work together to impact our wellbeing. My approach also uses treatments backed by science and data to guide whether therapy is working. I have experience working with people across the lifespan both individually and as part of family therapy and parent training. As a recovering perfectionist myself, I teach you that success doesn't define happiness. With me, therapy includes humor, sometimes tears, structure, and deep introspection. I believe the relationship with your therapist is the most important ingredient to helping you heal.
When out of session you can find me taking long walks in comfy sneakers, engaged in activism, eating oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookies, and stopping to pet every dog I meet.
Degrees/Education
2010 — BS, Cornell University2018 — MA, The University of Texas at Austin, Educational Psychology2018 — PhD, The University of Texas at Austin, School Psychology2018 — Internship in health psychology, The University of Louisville School of Medicine
2019 — Postdoctoral fellowship, integrated primary care, Geisinger Medical Center
2020 — Postdoctoral fellowship, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)
2020- present — Attending Psychologist, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC
Licenses/Certifications
2019 — Pennsylvania Licensed Psychologist
2020 — National Registrar of Health Service Psychologists
2020 — District of Columbia Licensed Psychologist
2021 — Maryland Licensed Psychologist
2021 — PSYPACT Licensed Psychologist
2016 — MATCH Transdiagnostic evidence-based child therapy
Values and Approach to therapy
My practice is culturally informed, gender, queer, and poly affirmative, and considers how systematic injustice and oppression interferes with mental health and well being. I am self-reflective and consider how my own identity impacts the therapeutic relationship. As a therapist it is my priority to create a safe place to address experiences of oppression on your own terms. My core theoretical orientation is informed by cognitive-behavioral therapy with an emphasis on understanding the complex intersection of your identities and roles, attachment and ecological theory, or how people are connected to the self, biology, community, and social-political environment, and acceptance and commitment therapy, or how avoidance and rumination leads us away from engaging in meaningful life experiences. My expertise is in evidence-based therapies, meaning I use structured techniques that are proven to work and adapt them to each individual. I do believe that research-based frameworks can also be supplemented with other healing practices including faith and restorative practices.
Clinical Training and Background
I did my graduate training at the University of Texas at Austin in clinical school psychology (Hook-em horns). My training and experience includes psychotherapy, psychological and neuropsychological diagnostic assessment, and consultation in community agencies, hospitals, and primary care clinics. My specialties within my degree are in health psychology and integrated behavioral health. I completed an APA-accredited predoctoral internship at The University of Louisville School of Medicine. My postdoctoral training at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia included extensive advanced training in therapy and consultation. I am also a faculty attending psychologist at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC and Instructor in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Science at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In addition to therapy I love training graduate students and committed to diversifying the psychology pipeline.
Therapy Approaches
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Emotion focused therapy (EFT) for attachment ruptures (couples/family)
Family Systems and family therapy
Positive Psychology
Attachment
Exposure and Response Prevention for OCD
Supporting Parents of Anxious Children (SPACE) (school refusal, separation anxiety)
Behavioral Parent Training and parent coaching for disruptive behaviors
I am trained in evidence-based frameworks including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Behavioral parent training, Mindfulness-based therapies, Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, and exposure therapy for intrusive thoughts/OCD.
