Julie Ballinger, PhD, (she/her) is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in the state of Texas and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor through the Association for Play Therapy. Her long-term interest in mindfulness practices has culminated in certification as a mindfulness meditation teacher through the Awareness Training Institute and compassion cultivation teacher through the Compassion Institute. She is co-owner of Guiding Compass Counseling located in Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb of Dallas/Fort Worth. Through her private therapy practice she provides mental health services for individuals from early childhood through late adulthood. In addition to teaching CCT, her life-long love of learning is shared by guiding students in a variety of mindfulness-based and compassion-focused courses.