Julie Schmit LMFT | Therapy | Counseling

You deserve to be cherished —

By both yourself and your partner.

Does this sound familiar?

What you say gets misinterpreted by your partner and their complaints make little sense to you. It feels as if you are speaking two different languages and are in desperate need of a translator.

You want to learn to truly understand each other, and use difficult conversations as a doorway to intimacy, so you can feel safe and understood when sharing your vulnerable side.

When you and your partner try to talk about difficult matters, they devolve into something unpleasant.

You want to feel supported by your partner, able to bring the wisdom of tough times forward, not the damage.

You’re being pulled in multiple directions at once. Your elderly parents are at that stage where they need your help navigating life. At the same time your kids need you to teach them how to use a spoon, or drive them everywhere, or help with college applications.

You want to see the light at the end of the tunnel of overwhelm; as you navigate being stuck in the “sandwich generation.”

Your body doesn’t “work” or “look” like it did when you were younger. Sex has become physically or emotionally distressing. Rather than talking about it with your partner, it is easier to avoid the topic all-together.

You want to be able to embody a sense of relaxation and comfort with one another and share more erotic experiences, so you can use sex as a doorway to deeper intimacy.

Everything’s changed since you’ve had kids. You’re often crabby and overwhelmed. You and your partner miss sharing pleasurable experiences outside of parenting - like flirting and enjoying the company of one another.

Be inspired to embrace pleasure, rediscovering and practicing the extraordinary nuances of how to love.

You’re single or newly single and ready to “get back out there again” and date. Your recent experiences dating didn’t go so well. You’re ready to meet someone new, someone whom you share chemistry and compatibility with and treats you well.

Someone who recognizes disagreements as an opportunity to change and evolve, so you can experience the richness and wisdom that comes from being in a healthy relationship.

If you’re struggling with any of these issues, you’ve come to the right place.

I’m Julie Schmit

Hi! I’m Julie Schmit, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Certified Couples Therapist and Sex Therapist. I believe healthy relationships are your birthright, and I’m here to help you discover love, and deepen your current relationships through practical approaches to intimacy.

Our Work Together

We will explore the major stressors in your life — your belief systems, health history, your childhood and other issues and how they impact your well-being. I am here to be your committed listener, mirroring your process. We will also incorporate the body by using simple, body and energy sensing exercises as well as creative visualizations, breathing exercises and guided meditations.

Professional leadership roles

Guest Instructor- “A Sex Therapist’s Guide to Tantric Sex Practices” University of WI, Stout, Sex Therapy Certification Program.
Workshop Leader- “The Power of Pleasure-You Deserve It!” Modernwell Women’s Co-Working Space.
Workshop Moderator “How to Talk About Sex for Modest Minnesota Mortals” Wellness Minneapolis Health Center.
Workshop Leader “Soulful Sex Secrets; Ways to Deepen Passion & Intimacy With Your Partner” Jumpstart Counseling Studio.
Workshop Moderator “Soulful Sensitivity: A Beginning Intuitive Development Series for Women” Wild Tree Wellness.
Workshop Leader “Wild Woman Wisdom: Advanced Intuitive Developmet Series” Wellness Minneapolis Health Center.
Podcast Host “Jumpstart Jam Sessions at the Edge” The Edge Magazine and Blogtalk Radio.

Professional training

Master of Arts in Adlerian Counseling and Psychotherapy – Adler Graduate School, Minneapolis, MN
Certified Couples Therapist – Relational Life Therapy (RLT)
Sex Therapist- Member of the Sexual Health Alliance (SHA)
Discernment Counseling- Minnesota Couples on the Brink Clinical Training
Couples Institute Developmental Model
EMDR Therapy
PREPARE/ENRICH pre-marital assessment- certified facilitator

Somatic (body) training

Body Centered Psychotherapy & Energy Therapy – Barbara Brennan School of Healing
Yoga Instructor – E-RYT

Ready to take action? Contact me to schedule a free, 15-minute phone or video consultation to see if we’re a fit to work together.

Contact Me

Why I Do This Work

As a child born during the sexual revolution of the 1960’s, I was fortunate to be adopted by open-minded parents. Among the many things parents typically teach their children, mine taught me the value of being self-empowered, and what today is called “sex positive.” They taught me sex is natural and generally healthy when utilized positively; little did I know what an impact that would have on me.

My Background

Since I was adopted as a young child, I felt a nagging desire to “find myself.” When I turned 18, I set out to find my biological roots (before that was a ‘thing,’ and before adoption records were open to adoptees). My search brought me to my birthplace in Southern California which, in the end, proved to be fruitful, and because of these experiences, I learned the value of healthy relationships, intimacy, and the human need for closeness.

While I was searching for my biological roots, I was drawn into the holistic healing movement, which was fresh and alive in Southern California in the 1980’s. When I moved back to Minneapolis in 1990, I put what I learned to practice.

My Work

Over the next three decades, I helped pioneer the practice of yoga in the Twin Cities. I’ve worked as a movement specialist and yoga instructor, designeding yoga-related programs for the University of Minnesota Gopher Football Team, the U of M Dance Department, the U of M BFA Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program, and the Minnesota Wild Hockey Club (to name a few of my former clients).

My work has been featured in Yoga Journal and the Minneapolis Star/Tribune. My interest in the mind-body connection and holistic healing led me to a degree from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing’s four-year healing science and energy healing program. I also have extensive experience working in rehabilitative massage therapy.

My Experience

I bring this range of experience, including knowledge about the body, insight into human well-being, and the mind-emotion-body connection to my work as a psychotherapist and a couples counselor. My approach is direct, compassionate, and peppered with humor. My style is more West Coast than Midwest and informed by my Jewish identity.

I’ve been happily married for 27 years to a research psychologist and writer. Next to our adult child, he’s the love of my life. I know personally the challenges and joys that marriage and family can bring, and, in my experience, the hard work has paid off in so many ways!