Julie A. Townsend, MSW
Centering In Focusing

167 East High Street

East Hampton, CT 06424

cell: 860-305-6322

Meet Julie

I believe that everyone has a story worth hearing. I have known people silenced by trauma, illness, disability, or their own fears and uncertainties, and have been repeatedly awed by the way simple presence and deep listening can transform and empower even the quietest voices.

I know what it's like to feel afraid. I have hesitated to speak up, even on things which mattered to me. I have wrestled with an inner critic, felt uncertain when making important decisions, and sometimes felt overwhelmed by daily pressures and stresses. Through Focusing, however, I learned to be more compassionate toward my own fears, indecision and self-criticism. I learned how to listen to my bodily felt sense of a situation, and to feel more confident about what I had to say.

Sharing Focusing with others, I've seen people begin to trust their own voice, and be able speak up for themselves in ways which allowed them, at last, to be heard. It is both exciting and humbling to sit with someone struggling to find the right words, wanting to speak their own truth. In such moments, I am deeply touched by the strength, the resilience and the wisdom we each hold inside.

Self-care is caring! The excellence of

my relationships with other people ... depends

on my being able to nurture myself.

~Ann Weiser Cornell~

I bring the richness of my own life story to my work as a Focusing guide and in my counseling work. In my professional role, I am a social worker, but I am also a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter and a sibling. I have done a lot of volunteer work, as a hospice home-care and Reiki provider, a local Food Bank coordinator, a Brownie leader, and a respite caregiver for persons with disabilities. I love learning new things, and sharing what I learn. I enjoy walking through woods in the fall, watching waves rush up a rocky Maine shore, and settling down with a good book. Above all, I treasure those moments spent in the company of my family and friends.

My own personal and spiritual growth continues to be a rich and rewarding part of my daily journey and some of the most transformative experiences of my life have come to me through Focusing. I welcome the opportunity to share this powerful process with you and to help you "Center In".