Today we’d like to introduce you to Juliana Posato

Hi Juliana, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

Getting to where I am today was about 11 years in the making. To be a licensed therapist in New York State, a person is required to have a Masters degree on top of obtaining the license. I went to Nazareth College as an undergraduate with a double major in Psychology and Sociology, with a minor in Women and Gender Studies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Nazareth, but I knew that this was only the beginning. After a year break from education to work in a couple research labs, I attended the University of Rochester to pursue my Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Graduate school was much more of a unique experience for me. The cohort I worked with was a total of 8 students, including myself. This made for incredibly intimate classes, in which we not only learned about theories, techniques, and assessment, but we often had to learn about ourselves, as well. The simple question of “Why do you want to become a therapist?” left the room open for a good amount of vulnerability, which we all partook in. Graduate s cool also gave me my introduction to the therapy field itself through multiple clinical practicums. I met and worked with several clients and was able to provide therapy to those who wanted a more affordable option of therapy as I worked for a hospital and a family medicine practice. Furthering my education and dipping my toes into the working life of a therapist allowed me to be prepared for my first job after graduate school. At this point, although I completed the Masters program, it was still required of me to fulfill the requirement of 1,000 client hours before I took the licensing exam. This job allowed me to build my caseload and seamlessly meet my 1,000 hour requirement. During that time, I was also dedicating myself to studying for the New York State licensing exam. This included reviewing textbooks from graduate school and taking practice exams, since it was possible that anything I learned in graduate school could be in the exam. Thankfully, I was able to pass my exam on the first try, despite my heightened anxiety making itself known. From there, I felt incredibly secure in my work as a therapist, although that did not stop me from experiencing my occasional imposter syndrome. As I focused more on the type of therapist I wanted to be, it became evident to me that I was not working in an environment that supported the ways in which I wanted to create an authentic connection with my clients. Something that is of upmost importance is the client’s comfort. I was opposed to having a “clinical” feeling within sessions, as if the client was going to a doctor’s appointment. Because we are working with people’s emotions, trauma, memories, and challenges, I wanted to make the room (and myself) as comfortable as possible. This included straying away from the “blank slate” stance that often many therapists use in session, and instead be my most genuine self; someone who was curious, friendly, relatable– a human. As the tension and differences grew in my working environment, I knew something had to change. This is when I began my search regarding opening my own therapy practice. My first step was to connect with colleagues who had opened their own practices themselves to get a sense of what the process would like. I owe a lot of credit to my colleague and friend, Allison, who carried the heaviest weight in guiding me through my questions and challenges. Allison suggested I speak to the owner of the building she worked in to see if there were any vacancies. Within a week, I had my office picked out, and paid the deposit. Although it felt like it moved quickly, I trusted Allison’s judgement, and I am forever grateful to her. From there, I obtained a DBA from the county clerk’s office, began advertising for the practice, and worked my way through purchasing the necessary items I needed to create my ideal therapy environment. Since opening my practice in July of 2024, my quality of life has drastically improved. I found myself being an even more effective therapist to my clients because I knew my environment supported me being authentic, and more importantly, present for my clients.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Leaving my previous work environment and opening my own practice was a little less than smooth. Personally, I believe that if opening your own business was easy, our society would look a lot different. My largest sacrifices I had to make during this process were my financial savings, time, and my mental health. Although I have been working with my own therapist for about two years now, the sacrifices all fed into each other, creating a state in which I was experiencing second thoughts and anxiety. What if my clients didn’t want to follow me to the new practice? What if I didn’t have enough money to actually start the business? What if I had to stay in my previous working environment for longer than expected? What if I’m not successful? With these concerns swirling through my mind, it was important to me that I was as organized and intentional as I could be. There were times where I had to sacrifice missing a payment on a bill, or couldn’t buy certain groceries due to their costs. What was important is that I knew that this stage of my life was temporary, and things were going to eventually turn upward. In the end, I am grateful I met with these challenges because they allowed me to realize I can grow something big from nothing.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

As a marriage and family therapist, the approach to therapy is a little different than others. While it is important to discuss thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, it is typical that a marriage and family therapist goes beyond those three realms. I operate under Systems Theory, in which I can expand my work into several other contexts. Systems Theory allows the lens to expand into where and how you grew up, your age, culture, gender, sexuality, religion, health status, and much more. This allows us to make connections about ourselves that may surprise us. Marriage and family therapists do not see individuals’ lives as a straight chronological line, but rather a web in which all facets of our life are connected. Although most marriage and family therapists operate under this theory, the way in which it is presented is different with each therapist. This is simply because we are human, and have influences from our varying life experiences. As for me, I believe I am known for making my therapy room as comfortable as possible. My office is colorful, mostly decorated with soft greens and pinks to lean away from a cold, clinical environment. I have a surplus of pillows, blankets, fidget toys, plants, and candy to make my client feel at home. Being emotionally vulnerable to a therapist can be quite a challenge, so it is extremely important to me that my clients can feel cozy in a setting like this. On top of this, I make sure that I dress comfortably as well so that my clients don’t have to feel like they have to “dress up” for therapy. That, I believe, is what sets me apart from other marriage and family therapists, and what makes me most proud about my brand. The therapy services I provide are for individual teens and adults, couples, and families, with sessions lasting about 50-60 minutes. Most of my clients start seeing me weekly for intake information purposes, then usually pan out to seeing me once every two weeks when they feel they are ready to do so.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?

That’s a good question. Oftentimes, people will ask me if it is difficult for me to separate myself from my work. Practicing therapists can easily make the mistake of leaving work physically, but not mentally or emotionally. Every day we’re in the office, we listen to our clients while they detail out their toughest moments and experiences. As most therapists are naturally caring and nurturing individuals, it is easy to think about their wellbeing while we’re out of the office. What might be surprising to people is that although I do deeply care for all my clients, I make sure I am able to separate work from the rest of my life. I often try to fill my time with various activities, whether it be spending time with my friends and family, reading non-fiction novels, playing video games, listening to my favorite music, or visiting my favorite spots in my city, these events allow me to stay grounded and connected with myself outside of the therapy room. I believe to the non-trained eye, many people don’t see their therapists as people who are just regular people, just like students towards their teachers. But I promise, sometimes we just want to go home, get cozy, and do the things we enjoy without thinking about work.

Pricing:

• Individual Therapy – $100 per session
• Couples Therapy – $120 per session
• Family Therapy – $120 per session

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/juliana-posato-rochester-ny/1336650
• Instagram: @julianaposatolmft