Winter 2006- Becoming a mother
Hello and welcome! My name is Julie Aziz, and though originally from New York, I have spent more than a decade in Austin, TX. All of my working life, I have been a helping professional, whether as a counselor, retreat facilitator, hospice chaplain, teacher, or creator of motherself.
My first path took me down the more traditional route of working with people as a therapist. I counseled individual adults, couples, children, and whole families. I worked a lot with parents, helping them respond to challenges with their children and understand how these challenges were affecting them personally. Over time, I felt more and more limited by the psychological perspective, and so I delved more deeply into spirituality (both Eastern and Western). I became an interfaith hospice chaplain during this time, witnessing the intense family passage from life to death. I also began to create and lead silent retreats and classes entitled “Remembering Ourselves”, “The Soul of Service”, and “Learning Our Lives: An Exploration of Self and Purpose”.
When I became pregnant with my first child in 2005, I made the decision to leave the field of psychotherapy and social work, as it no longer felt true to who I was. The desire to help people become more and more themselves never left me– I just knew I was meant to play a different role in their lives.
My formal education includes a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Colgate University in New York, and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Texas at Austin. I also completed a two-year program in interfaith ministry through One Spirit Interfaith Seminary, and a four-month training in group facilitation through the Center for Attitudinal Healing. It is perhaps motherhood itself which has been my greatest training for motherself work though, and I am now a wife and a mother of two young boys.
The work I do is not religious or psychological, but it is guidance towards personal growth. My philosophy for motherself work could be summed up as follows: learn from where you are, choose consciously where you want to go, and life will follow.
Testimonials from Group Retreats
Julie is a highly spiritual and open-hearted facilitator and teacher. She has a gift for holding a safe space, structuring without rigidity or judgment, and presenting highly inclusive invitations for personal exploration.
Julie is a wonderful facilitator. I am walking away from this renewed in my self-confidence. I am inspired to work toward my professional and personal goals.
I have learned to take better care and ground myself. Julie creates and holds a sacred space of authentic acceptance that has allowed me to be present with myself. Julie also guides and her inquiries help me explore new directions.
