JULIO OSPINA COUNSELLING PRACTICUM STUDENT
Somatic, Narrative & Meaning-Centred Counselling | English & Spanish
Ask About Counselling With Julio Free Consultation
Somatic, Narrative & Meaning-Centred Counselling | English & Spanish
Ask About Counselling With Julio Free Consultation
Julio believes that challenges are a natural part of being human and that counselling can offer a meaningful space to understand our experiences, reconnect with our strengths, and discover new ways of moving forward.
As a Master of Counselling Psychology practicum student at Adler University, Julio brings a warm, compassionate, and attentive presence to his work with clients at Gentle Currents Therapy. He strives to create an emotionally safe, non-judgmental environment where people feel genuinely seen, heard, and respected as they explore the experiences, relationships, emotions, and stories shaping their lives.
Julio’s developing clinical approach draws particularly from Narrative Therapy and somatic approaches, while also reflecting interests in existential, relational, depth-oriented, and Adlerian perspectives. He believes that each person has the capacity to participate actively in authoring the story of their life while learning to listen with greater curiosity to emotions, relationships, values, and the wisdom expressed through the body.
Originally from Colombia, Julio provides counselling in both English and Spanish and values culturally responsive care that respects each person’s identity, beliefs, relationships, community, and lived experience.
Julio provides counselling as a practicum student at Gentle Currents Therapy in Langley, British Columbia.
Julio approaches counselling with curiosity about the many dimensions of human experience—including emotions, thoughts, physical sensations, relationships, personal values, identity, and the stories people carry about themselves and their lives.
Drawing from Narrative Therapy, Julio helps clients explore the meanings connected with difficult experiences while recognizing that problems do not define the whole person. He is interested in helping clients identify strengths, values, relationships, and experiences that may support new ways of understanding themselves and responding to the challenges they face.
His developing somatic orientation brings additional attention to how stress, emotion, safety, and lived experience may be experienced through the body. Rather than treating physical and emotional experience as entirely separate, Julio invites thoughtful awareness of how body sensations, emotions, thoughts, relationships, and personal meaning may interact.
Julio’s counselling work does not involve massage therapy, bodywork, or physical treatment. His background as a Registered Massage Therapist instead informs his sensitivity to stress, embodiment, non-verbal experience, and the mind-body relationship within counselling conversations.
His developing clinical orientation is also informed by existential and Adlerian ideas, including questions of meaning, belonging, purpose, relationships, personal agency, and how people understand their place within the larger story of their lives.
Julio’s goal is not to impose a particular interpretation or solution, but to work collaboratively with clients as they develop greater awareness, authenticity, resilience, and confidence in navigating life’s challenges.
Julio has a longstanding interest in men’s emotional wellbeing, relationships, identity, and personal development.
Since 2012, he has been involved in men’s personal-development and peer-support settings. This experience included several years of organizational leadership with North Star International, where he contributed to community-building initiatives, Spanish-language resources, conferences, and one-to-one peer support for individuals across Latin America within a faith-based context.
These experiences strengthened Julio’s appreciation for the ways relationships, culture, identity, values, belonging, family experiences, and personal history can influence men’s emotional lives.
As he develops his counselling practice, Julio has a particular interest in supporting men navigating concerns such as:
Julio aims to provide a space where men can speak openly about emotional and relational concerns without judgment while developing greater self-understanding, healthier relationships, and meaningful ways of responding to life’s challenges.
Julio brings a distinctive professional perspective to his developing interest in first-responder mental health.
Alongside his graduate counselling training, Julio has worked for several years as a Registered Massage Therapist, providing client-centred treatment to people from a variety of backgrounds, including nurses, RCMP members, veterans, and other first responders.
This professional experience has given Julio sustained exposure to people working within physically and psychologically demanding occupations and has contributed to his awareness of the ways occupational stress can be reflected in both emotional and embodied experience.
His massage-therapy background has also helped him develop a grounded and attentive presence when people are experiencing stress, tension, vulnerability, or discomfort.
As Julio develops his counselling practice, he is particularly interested in supporting first responders and others working in high-stress or trauma-exposed professions. His counselling approach emphasizes emotional safety, curiosity, relationship, meaning, and respect for each individual’s lived experience.
His interest in this area should be understood as a developing clinical focus within his practicum training, informed in part by his previous professional experience with first responders and veterans rather than by years of independent first-responder counselling practice.
For some people, spirituality or faith is deeply connected to identity, relationships, culture, purpose, hope, and the way they understand difficult experiences.
Julio welcomes clients who would like spirituality, faith, meaning, or personal values to be part of the counselling conversation.
His approach is grounded in respect for each client’s individual beliefs and worldview. Rather than assuming what spirituality should mean for someone, Julio seeks to understand the role it plays in that person’s own life and how it may relate to identity, relationships, belonging, grief, purpose, personal growth, or change.
Clients who do not identify with a particular faith or spiritual tradition are equally welcome. Julio does not assume that spirituality or religion should form part of counselling unless the client wishes to explore it.
His broader interest is in helping people consider what gives their lives meaning and how their own values may support greater authenticity, connection, resilience, and direction.
Originally from Colombia, Julio offers counselling in both English and Spanish.
His experience living and working across cultural contexts has strengthened his appreciation for the ways language, migration, family, culture, faith, identity, and community can influence emotional wellbeing and the counselling experience.
Julio also spent several years developing Spanish-language resources and supporting community initiatives involving individuals throughout Latin America.
He approaches cross-cultural counselling with humility and curiosity, recognizing that each person’s relationship with culture and identity is unique. His goal is to create an environment where clients can speak about their experiences in ways that feel authentic and respectful of their personal and cultural context.
For Spanish-speaking clients, the opportunity to discuss emotional, relational, cultural, or spiritual experiences in Spanish may help make counselling feel more natural and accessible.
Julio brings substantial community and leadership experience to his graduate counselling training.
Through his years with North Star International, he served in several organizational leadership capacities, including five years as a member of the Board of Directors. His responsibilities included developing Spanish-language resources, supporting community-building initiatives, organizing in-person and virtual conferences throughout Latin America, and providing one-to-one peer support.
This was peer-support and community work rather than professional clinical counselling, but the experience contributed to Julio’s understanding of attentive listening, relationships, identity, belonging, culture, faith, and the importance of meeting people respectfully within their own lived context.
Julio has also participated in a social justice practicum with the Arkaya Foundation, engaging in learning and relationship-building connected with Indigenous communities, cultural awareness, reciprocity, social justice, decolonization, and community-based approaches to healing.
These experiences continue to inform his commitment to cultural humility and to understanding people within the broader relational, social, spiritual, and cultural contexts of their lives.
Julio is completing a Master of Counselling Psychology at Adler University.
His graduate studies have included learning in areas such as:
His counselling-skills training has emphasized therapeutic presence, empathy, emotional attunement, reflection of feeling and meaning, open-ended exploration, informed consent, ethical awareness, client autonomy, and reflective clinical practice.
Prior to his graduate counselling education, Julio completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Drama from the University of Toronto.
His artistic background continues to influence his curiosity about human experience. Theatre encouraged Julio to pay attention to emotion, embodiment, relationships, perspective, identity, story, and the many different meanings people may bring to similar experiences.
Julio also brings professional education and experience as a Registered Massage Therapist, together with previous learning in somatic practices. This background gives him an additional perspective on embodiment and the relationship between stress, physical experience, and emotional wellbeing while maintaining clear boundaries between counselling and physical treatment.
Clinical Supervision at Gentle Currents Therapy
Julio provides counselling as a Master of Counselling Psychology practicum student within the collaborative, trauma-informed clinical environment at Gentle Currents Therapy under the clinical supervision of Dr. Michael Dadson, PhD, RCC, CCC, Clinical Director.
Clinical supervision is an essential part of Julio’s practicum training and supports the continued development of his counselling skills through regular consultation, reflective practice, clinical discussion, and attention to ethical and professional care.
Julio’s developing interests in Narrative Therapy, somatic awareness, men’s mental health, spirituality and meaning, culturally responsive counselling, and first-responder wellbeing complement the broader range of clinical perspectives available within Gentle Currents Therapy.
His work remains grounded in his role as a practicum student and in the clinic’s shared commitment to compassionate, culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and evidence-informed care.
Beginning counselling can involve uncertainty, vulnerability, and hope. Julio understands that meaningful therapeutic work begins with creating a relationship where clients feel respected, carefully listened to, and able to explore their experiences without fear of judgment.
When you meet with Julio, you can expect warmth, curiosity, attentive listening, and a collaborative approach.
He will invite you to explore not only what is difficult, but also the relationships, values, strengths, bodily experiences, meanings, and personal stories that may help you better understand where you have been and where you would like to go.
Julio respects that counselling unfolds differently for each person and will work with you at a pace that feels appropriate to your needs, comfort, and goals.
Whether you are navigating stress, relationship challenges, questions of identity or purpose, men’s mental health concerns, emotional overwhelm, spiritual questions, or an important life transition, Julio seeks to provide a space where your experiences can be approached with compassion, respect, and curiosity.
For clients who wish to incorporate spirituality, faith, culture, or questions of meaning into counselling, these parts of your life are welcome. For clients who prefer not to include them, Julio will respect that equally.
Originally from Colombia and providing counselling in both English and Spanish, Julio seeks to honour the cultural, relational, and personal context each client brings into the counselling relationship.
At Gentle Currents Therapy, we believe healing begins in safe and respectful relationships where each person’s story is honoured with care. Our hope is that you experience a place where you feel genuinely welcomed, carefully listened to, treated with dignity and respect, supported without judgment, and thoughtfully guided as you explore the path that best supports your wellbeing.
Every person is welcomed with dignity, compassion, and hope.
