Reproductive Mental Health: A Chat With Reproductive Psychologist Dr. Julie Bindeman

One of the most common referrals I have as a House call Pediatrician is to a good Psychologist. Psychologists can be helpful with a wide range of issues, from conception and pregnancy loss, to family issues, to disordered eating, to parental postpartum depression. Here Dr. Julie Bindeman, Psychologist and business owner shares her story:

First, what is a Psychologist and what does your average day look like?

A psychologist is a doctoral level mental health professional that has gone through a graduate program, written a dissertation, and performed an internship before being able to obtain their license. We have expertise in diagnosing, assessment, therapy, and research and use science to guide our treatment decisions. Specifically, I'm a reproductive psychologist, which entailed post-doctoral training and supervision. My days vary, but most days, I see about 5 clients. I do some writing, manage the practice, take part in presentations, or perform clinical supervision...so my days are varied and busy. 

How did you know becoming an Psychologist was the path for you? 

My original path was to be an environmental lawyer--until I was in high school and fully understanding what law school would look like. For college, I pursued my love of theatre, and by my junior year, I realized that while I loved theatre, I would not be happy trying to make a living in the arts. So I pivoted to psychology as I loved working with kids and had an interest in psychology. I went on to get my doctoral degree right after college, and fell in love with working with adolescents, as I love the identity work that is a normal task during that age range. Once I started to become a parent, I became really interested in this kind of identity work--that transition to parenthood is so underrated and yet so pivotal. And it's of note that we get only 10ish months to do it, rather than the 16 years that we get to go from adolescence to adulthood. 

What was your path to becoming the founder/ owner of your business?

Once I received my license, I started to work for a private group practice. I always knew that I eventually wanted to be my own boss and have my own practice. At this group practice, I met the woman who would be my business partner. We joke that our practice was founded rather accidentally--initially the idea was to just share expenses so we could each make a go of it. We started to bring on other clinicians, not because it was part of a long-term plan or strategy, but rather because the opportunity was there and we found people we wanted to work with. This pushed us in the direction of formalizing our practice, and Integrative Therapy of Greater Washington, LLC was born. 

What do you wish parents knew about your services?

Parents often send kids to us with the hope that we will "fix" their kids. What we adults tend to focus less on is what we might be doing to exacerbate our children's behavior, as kids don't exist in a vacuum. This is not to say parents cause behaviors in our children, but we might be able to help our kids regulate better or meet whatever need they might be expressing. For the adults that I personally see, they want quick relief, which makes sense, and I do what I can to offer that. I also know that our patterns tend to be deeper responses that we have learned, and that might be expressing themselves now because of a specific situation in which they were activated. So sometimes, the work needs to go deeper and beyond skill building and tools. 

What are things you say over and over to your patients that you wish could be shared with the masses? 

I think that we underemphasize the power of deep breathing. It's not to say that this is a "cure all," but breathing can often give us a glimmer of space in which we can then work with. 

I don’t believe in work life balance, but what are some of the ways you find harmony in your work and life?

I throw away expectations for what "balance" is--it sounds like this absolute term. I figure that it is a good day if my kids are dressed, fed, and have been able to get along with one another. Then again, harmony comes by setting the bar low. :0)

What is something you wish every parent or family did?  

I wish that all families would create their own rituals. One opportunity we had this year because of Covid was to recreate the rituals of our holidays. This was such a powerful experience for myself and my children. 

Are there any recent and worrying trends that you are seeing in your field?  

My specialty is in reproductive health, and way too often, I see colleagues call themselves experts after they have become parents. This devalues the education that exists--while "been there, done that" is useful experience to pull from, one's own experience doesn't generalize to all experiences within the reproductive span. So when you are looking for a provider, make sure that they have the expertise and training that you will need: not only the lived experience. 

Can you share more about your training?  

I took a year-long course specifically in infertility counseling and then spent two years in an advanced supervision seminar. Additionally, I've taking weekend long intensives in perinatal loss, postpartum mental health disorders, as well as infertility. I am a member of ASRM, PSI, PLIDA, and EMDRIA. I am an EMDR-certified clinician. I am also licensed in DC, MD and VA. 

If folks want to get in touch with you, how should they do so?

Email drbindeman@gmail.com or you can call our practice at: 301-468-4849.