Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Trumbo.
Hi Julie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Early in life, I realized that I am deeply empathetic and I enjoy helping others through difficult situations. As someone who has had adverse and traumatic experiences at a young age and throughout life, I have been drawn to help people survive, heal, and grow. Human behavior has always fascinated me, which led me to earn my bachelor’s degree in Family Social Services with a minor in Psychology in 1998.
After graduation, I began counseling adults with severe and chronic mental illness and coordinating a county crisis line. I realized how overwhelming the need for mental health services was and how inexperienced the counselors were in these positions. This led me to pursue my master’s degree. There, I found my voice by learning about myself, self-empowerment, and advocacy through lobbying at the capital for human rights. Ah, the roots of social work! While in school, I was able to not only apply my education, but also my experience to counseling survivors of domestic violence. A year later, I was working in a residential facility for adolescent wards of the state and realized my passion for working with children. I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work in 2001 and was married.
With my new degree, I gained employment counseling women and children survivors of domestic violence. It was incredibly fulfilling to provide physical and emotional security. I helped survivors manage the emotional impact of their trauma, improve mental health, make independent choices, cope with life’s stressors, and regain a sense of control over their lives. My partner played a significant role in shaping my understanding of healthy communication, trust, and how people should be treated. This helped me see that calm was okay and I didn’t need to create chaos to feel regulated, as my childhood had ingrained in me.
My next journey was motherhood. This is where I developed my skill set in areas such as patience, mindfulness, perspective-taking, positive reinforcement, cognitive restructuring (changing our thoughts), modifying unexpected and unhealthy behaviors, self-care, and promoting continuous personal growth. My amazing twenty-one-year-old daughter and sixteen-year-old son have assisted me in this adventure!
The depth of my empathy and experience expanded with the death of my mom in 2013. It had a profound effect on how I help others with loss, grief, dissociation, human connection, guilt, isolation, stress, anxiety, and depression. I also enhanced my perseverance, strength, positive thinking, self-efficacy, courage, problem-solving, boundary setting, empathy, and self-advocacy through experiencing many serious health issues.
Raising my children catapulted my desire to share what I had learned and help other children. In 2016, I returned to school to pursue my professional educator’s license and began working as an elementary school social worker. That period of time was difficult, overwhelming, and an immense time of personal growth. I was able to combine all my education and experience to help children succeed and flourish. In the school setting, I worked to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of students, including building restorative practices. As a social worker, I served as a crucial link between the student, their school, home, and the community.
While working in the school setting, I found my mentors. These incredible women provided me with support, feedback, their experience, and collaboration. They played a crucial role in shaping my vision for the future. I moved to Texas in 2021. All my dreams came together when I founded my private psychotherapy practice, Restore Therapy and Wellness. This lifelong dream of mine had been realized.
Today, I help others thrive and live the best life possible. To achieve this, skills, strategies, and support are essential. Through my practice, I offer these services in a calm, non-judgmental, confidential, and safe environment. New opportunities are on the horizon for providing clinical training to behavioral health hospitals and professionals on topics such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. I am living my passion, preserving human connection, maintaining balance, practicing self-awareness, loving my family, and relishing in peace. My soul is full!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The first challenge was definitely the stress, fear, and anxiety of starting my own business. Fortunately, I had my support system in place, even though they would be across the country. I worked to maintain a positive and proactive mindset, supported by my husband and children. Moving to a state where I didn’t have connections to others, colleagues, and a network was definitely challenging. Luckily, in the process of finding an office space, I met a colleague who introduced me to others, helping me build my local support system and network.
When starting any business, maintaining a work-life balance can be challenging. A lot of time and energy went into the startup, and I struggled with maintaining a balance in my life. Over the past few years, I have successfully created a healthy balance between work and life. I enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and our four dogs and six cats.
As you know, we’re big fans of Restore Therapy and Wellness, PLLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I am the founder, owner, and a clinical social worker at Restore Therapy and Wellness. My psychotherapy practice serves children, adolescents, and young adults. I am committed to creating a strong and empathetic therapeutic relationship. I work closely with my clients to identify their unique needs and tailor their goals to address those individualized concerns. My clients are seen and heard. Their family story is always respected and honored.
I specialize in trauma, PTSD, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I also treat stress, depression, self-harm, suicidal ideation, attention deficit disorder, eating issues, body shame, sleep issues, adjustment difficulties, abuse, neglect, perfectionism, school problems, and regulation issues. Some treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), exposure therapy (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, as well as imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT). I am shame-informed, trauma-informed, and utilize the family systems theory.
My approach is holistic and integrative. It is strengths-based, empowerment-focused, and person-centered therapy. To meet the diverse needs of my clientele, I draw on multiple evidence-based treatments, methods, perspectives, and approaches. I strive to foster my clients’ learning, growth, healing, and restoration, thereby maximizing their future potential in school and life. Through this journey, I will walk beside the family as we work towards hope, personal growth, and healing the mind and body.
What does success mean to you?
When my practice reflects my core values, allows time for self-care, and work-life balance is maintained, personal success is attained. My client’s success is achieved when a strong therapeutic relationship is formed, maladaptive behaviors are extinguished, goals and objectives are met, symptoms don’t negatively impact their lives, and they can cope with life’s stressors in a healthy way. When these two align, I feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://restoretherapyandwellness.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com.restoretherapyandwellnessPLLC
