Dr. Julia Dobner-Pereira
Welcome! I am a clinical psychologist and drama therapist, seeing individuals and couples in New York. I work with adults and teens ages 15+.
I believe the therapeutic relationship is at the heart of healing, and I show up in the room with warmth and authenticity. I bring my full presence. My approach is integrative. I have advanced training in an attachment-based psychodynamic approach called Interpersonal Reconstructive Therapy, and in experiential, creative, somatic-based approaches including drama therapy and internal family systems. I also practice mindfulness and am an artist myself, and this informs the work I do.
Clients I work with are often seeking to reduce distress, trust themselves more, and feel more equipped in their life journeys. A primary aim of treatment is to increase self-awareness, freeing a more expansive self, and allowing old patterns and obstacles (i.e. emotional avoidance, self-criticism) to melt away. Therapy can help reveal how your past is impacting your present, which often leads to self-compassion, and healing and change in the present. Perhaps you are wanting to feel more comfortable with the unknown, whether that be challenging emotions, uncertainty about the future, or existential questions, like what is the meaning of my one precious life? We are living through uncertain times collectively and individually, and therapy with me is a space where these questions are welcomed.
My approach is person-centered, which means I adapt treatment based on the unique individual(s) I am sitting with. I have extensive experience in working with LGBTQ+ clients, those with a history of trauma, folks navigating illness, and other healers and artists. I am part of Mount Sinai Health Partners, and remain involved in training of doctoral trainees at Mount Sinai. I am presently on the faculty of the NYU Masters in Drama Therapy program, and was previously an Assistant Professor in the Psychiatry Department at Mount Sinai. I have worked and trained in hospitals, including in adult and adolescent transgender healthcare, in outpatient centers, Veterans hospitals, and counseling centers.
Psychodynamic, heart-centered therapy
Individual Therapy
Group Therapy
Couples Therapy
Teaching, Consultation, Writing, & Research
Therapy with Julia
Facilitating growth toward a more expansive, alive version of you
I understand the process of change through a psychodynamic lens – this means I am interested in your early experiences, unconscious wishes and fears, and ways of coping you have learned to manage the challenges of life. I use experiential approaches, including IFS and drama therapy, within this frame, and also have training in integrating skills-based approaches including DBT, ACT, and CBT.
Attachment-based and psychodynamic
I believe relationships are at the center of what makes our lives meaningful. This includes our relationship with ourselves. Addressing early attachment wounds can be profoundly healing for our present experience. I view the therapeutic relationship as a primary factor of effective therapy.
Creative and experiential
As a drama therapist, I am creative, and approach the work of therapy through the body as well as the mind. This means I am interested in the feelings, sensations, and images that make up your "felt sense" of your reality, not just your thoughts. In session, we may use tools like embodiment, imagery, story-telling/narrative, psychodrama, or role play to explore together.
Trauma-informed
I have extensive training in working with individuals who have experienced trauma. I believe the principles of trauma informed care, including collaboration, shared decision making, transparency, voice and choice, and consciousness of identity and culture, are essential to the work of effective therapy.
Social Justice
Throughout my life and career, I am grounded in social justice values. My training in the APA-accredited internship program at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology helped me to further shape my values and apply this to how I show up in the world and work as a clinician. These values drive me to cultivate embodied responsiveness and engage in ongoing self-reflection, so I am more able to adeptly respond to injustice in our individual interactions, group settings, and systems.
Reach out to talk about working together
Before formally starting the process of therapy together, I provide a 20-30 minute consultation call at no charge. This allows me to learn a bit more about what's bringing you to therapy, and gives you the chance to ask questions and get a sense of me before scheduling an initial session.