Julia Rangel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with an emphasis on early childhood development at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR. During this time, she interned at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, leading hands-on educational demonstrations for young children, and participated in student-faculty collaborative research assessing the development of emotional processing in school-aged children. Following her undergrad education, she returned to the Bay Area where she worked as a behavioral skills therapist for almost 8 years, implementing play-based approaches for promoting functional communication, social skills, and adaptive behaviors in children 2 to 13 years of age. From this experience, Julia decided to pursue a doctoral degree in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt University in Oakland, CA. Julia completed her clinical internships at Therapy at Play, as well as in Kaiser Permanente inpatient acute care and acute rehabilitation facilities, culminating in the fulfillment of a capstone project on the therapeutic value of adaptive video gaming following neurological injury. She enjoys thinking creatively to highlight client strengths and to support families in achieving their goals.

In her free time, Julia enjoys hiking, crafting, baking, and spending time with friends and family.”