A LITTLE BIT
Hi! I’m Juliene. This is my given name, but Julie feels more familiar and comfortable. I’m an enthusiastic, but sometimes reluctant and lazy, entrepreneur, a constant seeker of all things well-being, and a believer that relational satisfaction is the key to health and the good life. The relationship we have with ourselves, as well as our relationships with others, determines much of how we feel each day, and it is that belief system that led me to create a relationship education program called the Spiritual Program for Individual and Couple Empowerment (SPICE).
This program was the focus of my dissertation required for completion of a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy. I also have an active private practice as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Hiawatha, Iowa. I’m passionate about sharing the knowledge I’ve acquired through my education, my career, and my personal experiences to assist others in reaching their highest level of purpose and fulfillment. I’m especially eager to facilitate greater relational contentment for couples, and that is, in large part, because of my own story.
In 1985, I was not yet 19 and starting my sophomore year of college when I found out I was pregnant. Terry was 22 years old and wanted to do the right thing, so I dropped out of school to marry him and have a baby. We had dated less than a year. After 35 years of marriage, I can honestly say, “MARRIAGE IS SO HARD!”
Relationships can heal us or literally make us sick. Whether your relationship is fabulous, fine, or falling apart, I believe my program can push it to a higher level of functioning by looking at it through a holistic lens and teaching the science behind some of our reactions and responses. The growth starts with first looking at ourselves and then seeing the common humanity we share with our fellow humans.
I could have spent the last few years on a slow slide into retirement, but a force greater than myself pushed me to develop this program. I hope you will do me the honor of allowing me to inspire you to a life of greater meaning and purpose seeking. I promise to work incredibly hard to add SPICE to your life.
