Julia Dobner-Pereira (she/they)

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. 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. Liberation Health is foundational to my approach, as it situates our personal challenges within the context of systemic factors and cultural factors, including experiences of oppression and marginalization, as well as resilience and community care.

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, your expansive identity, or existential questions, like what is the meaning of my one precious life? We are living through unstable times collectively, 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. I provide evaluations and letters for gender-affirming surgeries and have ample experience in journeying through the exploration and affirmation of gender identity with clients.