Spiritual Direction in Judaism is both an ancient art and a rediscovered practice. One who practices Spiritual Direction has committed to spiritual study and growth.

I practice Spiritual Direction from my office in Newtonville, MA or via telephone. Fees are on a sliding scale.

I work as a Body-Centered Spiritual Director and Psychotherapist. I am a spiritual director on the faculty of Lev Shomea and as part of Ikvotecha, at the Hebrew College Rabbinical School. I teach in the Graduate School of Expressive Therapies at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. I was honored with the title of Eshet Hazon, a Woman of Vision, in March 2003 by B'nai Or of Boston. I received my Doctor of Ministry in Jewish Spiritual Direction from the Graduate Theological Foundation in 2014. My doctoral project was based on my work with Spiritual Direction and Authentic Movement as parallel and braided practices that deeply inform each other. I was honored with the Samuel Cohen prize in Jewish Studies.

Julie has an essay in the following recently released book: Seeking Redemption in an Unredeemed World: Essays in Jewish Spirituality by Howard Avruhm Addison (Author), Barbara Breitman (Author), Julie Leavitt (Author), Elyssa Wortzman (Author), & 6more The essays in this volume offer diverse glimpses of how redemption might break through the fissures of our all-too- fractured world. Spanning theology, lituy, spiritual guidance and practice, dreamwork, the arts, sociology and even politics, they open multiple doors through which the spirit of redemption may be glimpsed, welcomed and pursued.

Though, I am a trained spiritual director in the Jewish tradition, I work with people from all religious and non-religious orientations. Spiritual direction is a contemplative practice that gives time, space, and compassionate companioning to questions about the absence and presence of God, invoking whatever your name, or lack of name for this is in any given situation in your life.

It is deep work; therapeutic, yet not therapy. The sessions are generally 50 minutes, once a month. During the month is time for you to contemplate, practice, and experiment with whatever discoveries may have been made in the previous session.

It is called spiritual companioning, as well as spiritual direction, which speaks most accurately about the partnership that grows during this work.

I also do small groups which can be a wonderful way to witness the movement of a higher power in others lives, as well as our own.

I am a part of a collective group of spiritual directors called, Kol ha Lev, The Whole Heart. As it is important to find the right match in a spiritual director, I will gladly refer you to others in our collective for individual or group work.

Our collective offers groups and introductory lectures in synagogues, and other institutional venues.