Dr. Julie Lee, LMFT (she/her)

Founder & Executive Clinical Director

My journey began in the classroom. Long before I was a therapist, I was a special education teacher, having graduated from Gonzaga University with a passion for helping students who often felt overlooked by the system. While I loved teaching, I quickly realized that many of my students weren’t just struggling with lessons – they were carrying emotional weights that a standard IEP couldn’t always reach. I saw too many children falling through the cracks, and I knew I wanted to do more. This spark led me to pursue my Master’s in Counseling Psychology at CSUF and eventually my Ph.D. in Counselor Education & Supervision at Kent State University.

For the past 20 years, I’ve worked to bridge the gap between education and mental wellness, helping parents, children, and families across Southern California. Because I believe that play is the natural language of children, I specialize in non-directive play therapy, working with little ones as young as 18 months old. In the playroom, there are no “wrong” moves. When children play freely in a safe, attuned space, their nervous systems begin to regulate, they rehearse hard feelings on their own terms, and they build the inner language they need to name what hurts – often long before they could explain it in words. Play therapy isn’t a softer version of “real” therapy. For young children, it is the work.

My heart has always been with the underserved. I’ve spent my career in foster care, schools, hospitals, and community mental health – working alongside adults living with serious and persistent mental illness. These diverse settings taught me that whether you are a toddler or an adult, you deserve a fierce advocate who sees your potential, not just your struggles.

At The Connection Corporation, we believe the mind and body are inseparable. You cannot truly heal one without the other. That’s why our approach is deeply rooted in somatic (body-based) work alongside traditional talk therapy. As an EMDR-trained therapist, I help both children and adults process deep-seated trauma by helping the body finally let go of what it has been holding onto – sometimes for decades.

I built this practice around a simple idea: healing happens fastest in places that feel like family. The Connection is designed to be that place – for our clients and for the clinicians who work here. I continue my love for teaching by serving as a clinical supervisor at the Brea Resource Center, where I mentor the next generation of student therapists.

Whether you’re a parent seeking guidance for your child or an adult looking to reconnect with yourself, I am here to walk that path with you. At The Connection, we meet you exactly where you are – no judgment, just a safe place to grow.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/the-connection-corp-placentia-ca/58264