Juliana Mott Fabio
I’m Juliana Mott Fabio, LCSW, and I specialize in supporting adults who are navigating grief, life transitions, anxiety, and the quiet emotional weight that can build when life feels overwhelming. Many of my clients come to therapy during seasons when they feel unsteady—after a loss, during a major shift in identity or relationships, or when old patterns of coping no longer feel sustainable. My role is to offer a grounded, compassionate space where you can slow down, reflect, and understand what you’re carrying with gentleness rather than judgment. With a background in hospice, bereavement counseling, crisis work, and somatic practices, I bring both clinical experience and a deep respect for the human experience. I blend talk therapy with somatic and mindfulness-based tools to help clients reconnect with their bodies, regulate their nervous systems, and feel more present and supported in daily life. Together, we explore what is no longer serving you, strengthen your resilience, and identify new ways of relating to yourself and others.
With a background in hospice, bereavement counseling, crisis work, and somatic practices, I bring both clinical experience and a deep respect for the human experience.
My hope is that therapy becomes a place where you feel seen, understood, and empowered—where you can process your emotions, rebuild your sense of self, and move forward with clarity and confidence. You don’t have to navigate these transitions alone.
First session
Starting therapy can feel like a big step, whether you’ve been thinking about it for years or made the decision recently because life became heavier than expected. Your first session with me is designed to be grounding, gentle, and welcoming. My goal is to create a space where you can breathe a little deeper, settle into yourself, and feel the relief of not having to hold everything alone. When we meet, you can expect a slow, steady, intentional pace. There is no pressure to “tell your whole story,” to be organized in your thoughts, or to know where to begin. Many people arrive unsure of how to articulate what they’re experiencing, or worried about becoming emotional. Others feel numb or disconnected. All of this is welcome—there is no wrong way to show up. We’ll begin with a brief check-in to settle your nervous system, often through a few quiet breaths or a moment of stillness. You don’t need to prepare anything; this time is simply about arriving. From there, I’ll ask open, gentle questions to understand what brings you to therapy. You may want to talk about a recent loss, a transition, anxiety, overwhelm, or a sense of being off-center. You may not know exactly what feels wrong, and that’s okay. Our work begins with making sense of things together. As you share, I’ll listen closely—not just to your words but to the emotions, themes, and hopes beneath them. We may explore what you’ve been carrying, how long it has felt this way, what makes it harder or easier, and how your body is responding. Tension, fatigue, restlessness, or trouble sleeping can be important clues. This helps us understand your experience somatically as well as emotionally. You are always in control of what you share. If something feels too raw, we won’t push it. If you need to slow down, take a pause, or sit quietly, that is more than okay. Your emotional safety is essential. At some point, we’ll talk about what you’re hoping to gain from therapy—more stability, clarity, ease, support through grief, or a deeper understanding of your patterns. You may simply want a place where you don’t have to hold everything alone. All of these are valid starting points. I’ll also explain my therapeutic approach so you know what working together may look like. I integrate talk therapy, somatic awareness, and grounding practices, using modalities like CBT, attachment-based therapy, and psychodynamic exploration. We’ll talk about how somatic tools support nervous-system regulation, how grief unfolds and ways to cope with difficult situations. Overall the first session is about getting to know you and what you hope to get out of our time together.
Strengths
What sets my therapeutic approach apart is the blend of compassion, clinical experience, and a mind–body framework that honors emotional and physical experience. I don’t believe in quick fixes or one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, I create a grounded, emotionally safe space where clients can explore their inner world without pressure or judgment. My work is relational, warm, somatically informed, and rooted in understanding the depth of each person’s experience. Healing happens through connection to ourselves, our emotions, our bodies, and a supportive therapeutic relationship. Many clients I work with have spent years being strong for everyone else and arrive overwhelmed, exhausted, or burdened by grief or transitions. I meet each person where they are, with gentleness and presence, and walk with them through whatever they’re carrying. A unique part of my work is integrating somatic awareness. With my background as a Pilates instructor and training in somatic psychotherapy, I understand how emotions live in the body. I help clients notice nervous system responses, release tension, and find grounding through breathwork, mindful movement, and body-based awareness. These practices can be especially stabilizing for people who feel stuck in their heads or overwhelmed by racing thoughts. The goal is not simply insight, but helping clients feel more grounded and connected. My experience in hospice, palliative care, crisis work, and grief counseling also shapes my approach. These settings taught me to sit with profound emotions of grief, fear, guilt, anger, uncertainty without rushing or minimizing them. I learned to hold space with steadiness, respect, and attunement. I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychodynamic therapy, attachment-based work, somatic practices, and Motivational Interviewing, weaving them together based on each client’s needs. Some people need deeper emotional exploration; others need practical tools and nervous-system grounding. Most benefit from both. I help clients understand patterns, regulate emotions, and develop a more compassionate relationship with themselves.
Ideal clients
If you’re reading this, you may be moving through a season of life that feels heavier or more tender than expected. You may be someone who has always been responsible, thoughtful, or strong for others, yet the way you’ve been coping no longer feels sustainable. You may be navigating grief, a major transition, anxiety, burnout, or self-doubt while still trying to move through life as if nothing has changed. Many of my clients are adults who are used to functioning at a high level but feel overwhelmed by the emotional weight they’re carrying. You may find yourself thinking, “I should be handling this better,” or wondering why you can’t simply move on. Sometimes the struggle is clear, such as the loss of a loved one or the end of a relationship. Other times it is quieter—a growing sense of disconnection, exhaustion, or uncertainty. I work well with people who know something inside them needs attention, even if they are not sure what. You may want therapy not simply to “fix” something, but to understand yourself more deeply and create space to breathe, reflect, and make sense of your emotions. I support clients through grief in its many forms, including the loss of a person, relationship, dream, identity, or sense of certainty. I also work with people navigating life transitions such as career changes, caregiving, midlife shifts, children leaving home, illness, or relationship changes. My work also supports those who feel disconnected from their bodies, caught in overthinking, tension, or constant stress. Together, we can build greater awareness, grounding, and connection. I believe you know yourself best. My role is to create a safe, compassionate, collaborative space where insight, connection, healing, and growth can unfold.
Treatment methods
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help clients understand the connection between their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Together, we identify patterns that may be contributing to stress, anxiety, or overwhelm and gently reframe them into more balanced, compassionate perspectives. My approach is collaborative, practical, and focused on building skills that support resilience and emotional well-being.
Grief Therapy
In grief therapy, I offer a compassionate, steady space for clients to honor their loss and explore the many emotions that come with it. I help people understand that grief is not linear and support them in moving through their experience at their own pace. Together, we explore meaning-making, coping strategies, and ways to stay connected to their loved one while rebuilding life around the loss. My approach integrates grounding and somatic tools to help regulate the nervous system and bring comfort during overwhelming moments.
Psychodynamic
I help clients explore the deeper emotional patterns and past experiences that may be influencing their thoughts, relationships, and reactions today. Together, we look at the roots of long-standing feelings or behaviors to understand them with compassion rather than judgment. This insight allows clients to notice patterns, shift old dynamics, and create healthier ways of relating to themselves and others. My approach is gentle, reflective, and supportive, helping clients gain clarity, self-understanding, and emotional freedom.
Somatic
I help clients tune into the body’s signals, sensations, and patterns to better understand how stress, grief, and emotions are held physically. Together, we use gentle grounding, breathwork, and mindful awareness to support nervous system regulation and create a sense of safety in the body. This approach helps clients move through emotions rather than staying stuck in them, and cultivates a deeper connection between mind and body. My goal is to help clients feel more present, empowered, and at ease within themselves.
EMDR
I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), an evidence-based therapy approach designed to help people process trauma, anxiety, and distressing life experiences. My work is grounded in a warm, collaborative, and somatic approach, helping clients feel safe and supported as they explore and heal from experiences that may feel stuck in the nervous system. I integrate EMDR thoughtfully alongside talk therapy, mindfulness, and body-based awareness to support emotional healing, resilience, and lasting change.
Location
Virtual sessions
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Licensed in
- CaliforniaLicense 131392