Julia Linger, PsyD
Dr. Julia Linger (she/her/hers) is a postdoctoral clinician who provides both therapy and psychological evaluations. She specializes in helping her clients navigate anxiety, complex trauma, grief and loss, family changes, attachment or relationship difficulties, developmental delays, neurodivergence (including nonspeaking autism/ spellers), and family adjustment to disability. She provides play therapy and parent-child therapy for young children (ages 2+) and families, and traditional talk therapy for teens, college students, couples, and parents. She also conducts psychological evaluations to provide diagnostic clarity and address concerns such as ADHD, autism, learning disorders, giftedness, kindergarten readiness, and other developmental or socioemotional concerns. Her evaluations illuminate each child's unique strengths and areas of growth, and are designed to support well-informed, compassionate decisions related to treatment planning, educational accommodations, and daily life.
Dr. Linger's approach to therapy and evaluations is grounded in her belief in every person's inherent resilience and capacity for growth. She is committed to creating welcoming, safe, and collaborative therapeutic relationships. She is especially attuned to understanding how clients' intersecting diverse identities shape their experiences, and is LGBTQ+ affirming, neurodiversity affirming, and operates from a disability justice framework. Dr. Linger tailors her approach to the needs of each family, drawing primarily from attachment and trauma-informed modalities and integrating relational and family systems approaches. She has extensive training in evidence-based play therapy practices such as Child-Centered Play Therapy and Theraplay, as well as expressive arts and nature-based techniques. She has ten years of experience supporting children and families.
When Dr. Linger is not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking adventurous recipes, reading fantasy novels, and playing outside.
Education:
- Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology) in Clinical and School Psychology, James Madison University
- M.A. in Mental Health Counseling with a certificate in Child and Family Mental Health, Boston College
- B.A. in Psychology, University of Virginia
Professional Affiliations
- Association for Play Therapy
- National Register of Health Services Psychologists
Training
- Community Mental Health: Counseling and Psychological Services (Harrisonburg VA), Interprofessional Services for Learning Assessments (Harrisonburg, VA)
- College Counseling Centers: Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA), University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA), Bridgewater College (Bridgewater, VA)
- Schools: The Gifford School (Weston, MA), Arlington County Public Schools (Arlington, VA)
- Therapeutic camps: Massachusetts General Hospital's Camp Aspire (Westwood, MA), Camp Akeela (Thetford Center, VT)
Contact Triangle Child Psychology today if you have any questions about how Linger can help you and your family, would like more information about services, or would like to schedule an appointment.