A Relational Path to Self-Understanding – Exclusive Interview with Julie Wan

Julie Wan offers Psychotherapy and Counselling and is the founder of Rockshore Therapy, nestled on the South Coast of U.K. She works with teenagers and adults, offering a therapeutic journey that delves into the inner world to help them navigate life’s challenges, understand patterns, and cultivate self-compassion.

Drawing from humanistic, existential, developmental, and attachment-based perspectives, Julie’s approach is integrative and holistic, incorporating somatic awareness to foster insight, clarity, and emotional understanding. Her extensive background in psychology, coupled with postgraduate training in psychotherapy and counselling, equips her to support clients with anxiety, life transitions, relational difficulties, and other complex emotional experiences.

Julie believes in the transformative power of being truly understood, seeing it as a gateway to deeper self-awareness and a more empowered sense of oneself and the world. Her therapeutic style combines ethical expertise with warmth and curiosity, creating a calm, reflective space where clients can explore emotions safely, express what feels inexpressible, and gain clarity about their needs and identity.

Through Rockshore Therapy, Julie acts as a compassionate ally, helping individuals feel seen, heard, and supported in discovering their potential and navigating life with resilience. Her aim is to empower clients to become their own guides, fostering autonomy, insight, and personal growth.

Julie Wan, Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

Who is Julie Wan?

Julie Wan is a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor based on the South Coast of England and the founder of Rockshore Therapy. She works with teenagers and adults and is dedicated to creating a space where people can explore their experiences with a fresh, gentle curiosity. By fostering a space where people are encouraged to slow down, take stock, and be respectfully seen as they are, Julie supports the cultivation of self-insight, clarity, and authentic connection. Her intention is to blend deep human connection with reflective inquiry, creating opportunities for empowerment and freedom through being truly understood.

What inspired you to start Rockshore Therapy and focus on counselling and psychotherapy?

Because of my own life experiences and challenges, I’ve always been curious about how people make sense of their world, and how early relationships, life events, and stress can shape the way we see ourselves in relation to it. My own experience of therapy showed me just how transformative it can be to be supported by skilled, ethical practitioners, especially when emotions or experiences feel complex, overwhelming, or hard to put into words.

Starting Rockshore Therapy wasn’t a single eureka moment – it was more of an unfolding process. By the time I set it up, I had spent years in training and gained experience working within organisations and charities, and I felt ready – both professionally and ethically – to take the leap on my own. At the heart of it, the practice grew from a simple discovery: being truly understood can lead to such deep self-insights, clarity, and a more compassionate sense of oneself, helping one navigate whichever direction their life takes next.

How would you describe your approach to therapy in one sentence?

My approach is relational and integrative, focusing on the whole person – their thoughts, emotions, and bodily experiences – to facilitate deep understanding and healing.

What makes your therapeutic style different from other counsellors or therapists?

What makes my approach different is the emphasis I place on both the relationship and the person’s entire experience. Feeling genuinely heard and understood is often the starting point for change, so I work at a pace that feels right for each client, focusing less on preconceptions and more on understanding the person in front of me – right here and now. At the same time, I pay attention to echoes of the past expressed through subtle tensions and patterns that perhaps haven’t yet found language, working collaboratively to explore them with curiosity and compassion. This allows insights to emerge naturally and fosters a deeper sense of self.

Who are the people you most enjoy helping, and why?

I particularly enjoy working with people who feel they “should be coping better” but sense that something isn’t quite fitting internally. Many of my clients appear to function well on the outside while feeling overwhelmed or self-critical beneath the surface. They’re often thoughtful, reflective individuals who carry a lot quietly, and supporting them to develop greater self-understanding, clarity, and a more compassionate relationship with themselves is work I find deeply meaningful.

What are the most common challenges your clients come to you with?

Clients often come to me experiencing anxiety, emotional overwhelm, low self-worth, relationship difficulties, or a sense of feeling stuck, particularly during periods of transition or accumulated stress. These experiences are often accompanied by feelings of tension, unease, or uncertainty. Rather than being experienced simply as problems to eliminate, I find these can show up as meaningful signals, pointing toward areas to be explored.

How do you help clients feel truly heard and understood in your sessions?

I offer a calm, welcoming, and non-judgemental space where clients can express themselves freely and at their own pace. I attend closely to both the stories they share and the signals of their internal experience – emotional, physical, or intuitive. By gently reflecting what is emerging and helping clients put words to experiences that may have felt confusing or unspoken, they often feel genuinely heard and understood.

Can you explain how your experience and training benefit the people you work with?

My training gives me a strong theoretical, ethical, and relational foundation, while my clinical experience allows me to work with both flexibility and depth. My original training was rooted in an existential and phenomenological approach, meaning I am less focused on quick answers and more interested in understanding a person’s real lived experience.

Later, advanced training with Richard Erskine deepened my understanding of developmental processes and how earlier relational experiences continue to shape present-day patterns, whilst additional supervision with Ernesto Spinelli strengthened my commitment to working with openness, curiosity, and a reduction of assumptions.

Together, this means I work with the whole person rather than focusing on a single symptom. What brings someone to therapy often points toward something deeper that may not yet be fully conscious or easy to articulate. By attending to emotional, relational, and internal experience in the here-and-now, clients are supported in making sense of how the past may be echoed in the present — allowing greater clarity, self-compassion, and choice to emerge.

What transformations have you seen in clients after working with you?

Over time, many clients describe feeling more grounded, more at ease with themselves, and better able to navigate choices and relationships in ways that feel authentic. For some, the shifts are subtle – managing challenging situations, softening self-criticism, or finding peace with a difficult decision. For others, transformation can be profound: I’ve witnessed clients step out of long-standing relational patterns, set firm boundaries, or make major life changes, such as leaving a limiting job or relationship, pursuing new opportunities, or embracing relationships they once thought impossible. Each journey is deeply individual, and progress looks different for everyone, but these experiences often bring greater clarity, confidence, and a sense of agency.

How do you tailor your therapy to fit an individual’s unique situation?

I don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. I take time to understand each client’s history, circumstances, and how they experience their difficulties, and we work collaboratively to shape therapy in a way that feels meaningful and supportive. Each client brings a unique set of experiences and relational patterns, so the way I respond depends on what emerges in the moment – for example, I may adopt a softer, nurturing stance if someone feels vulnerable, or create an encouraging holding container for anger to be expressed if that is what is needed. By attuning both verbally and through subtle non-verbal cues, I help clients feel truly understood, which can support clarity, insight, and agency.

What would you say to someone who’s hesitant to reach out for help?

Feeling hesitant is completely natural. Therapy can feel daunting, but you don’t need to have everything figured out. Even starting with a simple conversation – exploring what’s present and taking things at a pace that feels safe – can be the first step toward meaningful personal growth.

What is the first step someone should take if they want to work with you?

The first step is to get in touch and arrange a free initial consultation. This provides a relaxed, pressure-free space to talk through what’s bringing you to therapy, ask any questions, and get a sense of whether working together feels like the right fit. I encourage you to find a therapist who feels right for you, because as research shows, the quality of the relationship is often more important than the type of therapy. Feel free to get in touch – I’d be very happy to discuss this further with you.

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