I’m Justine Lowry, MS, LPCC

Hi! My name is Justine Lowry, and I am a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. I wanted to share some of my education and work experience with you. I received my Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology and my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in Jacksonville Florida from 2013-2019. During grad school I did my 1,000-hour internship at a psychiatric hospital that offered both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health and substance abuse treatment for adults and senior adults. Since my graduation in 2019 I have worked as a school-based mental health therapist at various schools in San Luis Obispo County working with students, ages ranging from kindergarten to high school. In that time, I also worked for two years on the mobile crisis Mental Health Evaluation Team and obtained my 65-hour Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Peer Counselor Training through Lumina Alliance. 

Every single day I am striving to be the safe person that I needed when I was a child. Whether it is someone to talk to about the stress and rigors of class work, the dynamics of friendships or navigating safe relationships.  I am here to hold a safe space for my clients to process any and everything that comes their way. I want every client to be able to speak to an objective, unbiased, non-disciplinarian adult about how they are feeling and feel safe enough to do so while facing the everyday struggles of this day and age. I desperately needed someone like me when I was younger. I needed someone to tell me that there was nothing wrong with me for feeling stressed, anxious, and out of control of most things in my life. 

I know that I am making a difference every day whether it be through stigma reduction with my presentations, education to others on mental health signs and symptoms to look out for in loved ones or just holding space. In my time working on the County’s Mental Health Evaluation Team, I learned how to interact with clients that are in crisis and manage their struggles with suicidal thoughts or self-harm. I can assess safety, complete safety plans, contact higher level mental health crisis support services, help in the transition back to life after a hospitalization and get them connected to ongoing outside services. I love my job and all that I can do to support my clients. 

My favorite therapeutic modalities include Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness and Narrative Therapy. CBT which focuses on your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and how they are inextricably linked. The way that you perceive situations influences your physiological, emotional, and behavioral responses. Mindfulness is the idea that you are not your thoughts. Being more mindful helps you stop getting caught up in the continuous cycle of judging situations as bad or good and start accepting them as they are. And finally my personal favorite, Narrative Therapy, states that we all create meaning out of our life experiences through the stories we tell ourselves and share with others. There are many different ways to interpret the events that happen in our life. Together, you and I can explore the stories that have dominated your life. By examining these stories together, working to give them new meaning and exploring other, more empowering stories, you can learn to change how you think and feel about yourself and your life. I look forward to supporting you in any struggles you may have related to food and body image. 

It is my mission for every single client to know that their feelings not only matter but are valid.

We are currently in process of contracting with CenCal to provide Justine’s services to MediCal clients. Check back soon to receive updates.