Executive Director of SOS Community Counseling Services

SOS Community Counseling Services provides free counseling in schools to at-risk youth and families and provides free and affordable counseling to the community in clinic-based settings.  SOS is a collective of mental health therapists, interns, trainees and supervisors who share the goal of helping young people, adult individuals, couples, and families develop tools and perspectives to facilitate greater self awareness and esteem, healthier relationships, and ultimately a greater opportunity to live healthy, happy, and fulfilled lives. Each counselor employs a unique approach and skill set to their work with clients, all have completed training (minimum of a Masters degree) in Counseling, Psychology, or a related field, preparing them (and professionally enabling) them to see clients as either a Licensed or Intern Marriage and Family Therapist. SOS counselors work with clients who face extremely diverse circumstances and challenges to their developmental, social, psychological, emotional, and behavioral well-being. Despite the unique and often times complex and devastating issues facing clients, SOS therapists share a deep commitment to treating each with the highest level of respect and compassion, while working to enable positive, productive growth through the counseling process.

Julie Waters is the Executive Director of SOS Community Counseling Services.  Julie specializes in working with youth, parents and the whole family system to help facilitate the growth process through increasing self-awareness and developing coping tools.  Her experience as a therapist stems from work in family service agencies, school settings, residential treatment facilities, transitional living centers, community counseling clinics, and home visits with families. She has held many leadership positions and participated in program development and grant writing.  Julie is a graduate of UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Psychology and a Masters Degree from Sonoma State. Her education in psychology, community studies, therapy and the healing arts has spanned over 13 years and counting.