Meet Julee “Jules” Portner MS, CCC-SLP, IBCLC, LMT, MCHC, RYT, CST, HTP An integrative, holistic and functional care expert,

Communication and eating are fundamental skills needed from birth, every day, all the time. These skills grow and develop with us. Differences, difficulties, disorders, questions and concerns happen at every age and stage.

When talking and/or eating Is off -all the body systems can get out of balance. Nutrition, cognition, sleep, digestion, health, wellbeing, growth, development and ease of life can be impacted. Julee has skills and techniques to address these varied areas, with customized, simple and practical solutions. She works to prevent and treat conditions in ways that make sense for each person based on their individual needs, culture, lifestyle, and desires.

Julee specializes in speech language pathology, lactation + breastfeeding medicine. She’s knows that optimal lifetime wellbeing is impacted by talking and eating function. She blends therapeutic bodywork, coaching and mind + body techniques with Western care practices for your best, now and later.

Born into a family of innovative and pioneering holistic medicine and health providers, Julee has been exposed to multiple treatment perspectives and practices throughout her life.

Carrying multiple licenses, board certifications and specialty delegations, she is honored and humbled to learn from master teachers and world renowned leaders in the fields of study she pursues. Julee remains passionate about these subjects and is fortunate to have ongoing access to these teachings as she works with her individual patients, families and groups. Julee is endlessly curious and enjoys studying, collaborating with providers and developing programs to improve how we assess and treat feeding and communication differences in our modern times. Julee’s goal is helping to make these real life skills simple and effective for more people.

She has been around medicine and the care of people her whole life, Westerns medicine mixed with alternative or complementary care, at time when those ideas were not as understood. There is clear evidence for many of the health benefits of the practices that Julee has been trained in. Although her knows that the experience is often a great way to find out what is right for you, having evidence behind the efficacy of the practice is ideal, this gets people to be more willing to try something new. how we are managing eating, feeding, swallowing and communication care on all levels for people today is not working great, in Julee’s opinion. She knows there is different way which she offers to her patients with great success. She is excited to be offering more expanded care to her community and beyond.

Julee has experience helping patients of all ages and conditions in the NICU, PICU, AICU, cardiac care, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, children’s health centers, specialty programs for feeding and development, early intervention, long term and geriatric care, Radiology, Ear, Nose And Throat, Gastroenterology, Pulmonology, Oncology, Spinal Cord and Traumatic Brain Injury, Psychiatry, Residential Care Homes,, Alzheimer’s Care and Training Centers, Physician Office, Home Health, Private Practice, and virtual. She has worked around the country and in every department in all the facilities because communication and eating are necessary throughout our lives. These skills grow and develop with us. Many things can impact function.

Throughout her career Julee has been part of several clinics., working in teams to develop collaborative care models. Feeding clinics, NICU follow up care, craniofacial clinics and comprehensive development assessment training teams, multidisciplinary care for swallowing; in each Julee is developing expanded treatments for integrated function. Her graduate work focused on counseling, self care and advocacy for caregivers as well as functional care protocols for speech therapy before “functional” therapist was even a buzz word. She has led laryngectomy support groups, caregivers of stroke survivors support groups, parents of children with feeding and communication needs support groups. She has volunteered as a healing touch provider in hospitals and hospice centers, has given local talks and trainings on swallowing and the importance of supporting improved feeding from babies to geriatrics. She has years of experience offering co-treatments with occupational, physical and respiratory therapists, nutritionists, nurses of varied specialties , social workers and mental health providers, health coaches, massage therapists, chiropractors and body workers, ayurvedic physicians and experts, mind, body, movement instructors.

With deep understanding and great respect for specialties and what supports they offer, she is aware of what to look for in her patients and can suggest best next steps. Julee is aware of community resources and providers, is linked up with groups of experts all over the world in professional networks finding best solutions in a time of quickly changing understandings of how to manage many of the areas for which she is consulted.

She is passionate about offering this type of care to more people easily. She is always studying and endlessly fascinated by the many aspects of this field of care. New understandings and links to the whole system help expand our view of how it’s all the skills are connected every day! .

Julee loves to offer the most up to date information and experiences. She is engaged in trauma informed trainings and focuses her care on the PEMS Physical, Emotional Mental and Spiritual aspects impacted by the changing talking and eating. Julee presents facts, linking them to what is going on for you and what you share about your goals for change. She will offer a comprehensive overview, suggestions to try, practice time with her during the session and a way to check back in after. Relevant resources and follow up recommendations will also be given. Offering traditional Western or as fully an integrative approach as you desire. Her goal is to give you the highest level of informed care, offering guidance towards clear understandings of the what, why, who, where and when is best for you. Experiences in trusting yourself as advocate for your best outcomes.

Having worked in facilities with a more Western based care model, with a few years of break or less work in between to have children of her own; plus a reawakening of the skills and practices she had in her earlier years, led her to realization that integrative, holistical and functional care is needed! She has been pursuing additional certifications and licensure for the past decade. She is blending these understandings, ancient and cutting edge to make big differences for people. She is excited to be expanding her practice and offering virtual and group experiences.

Her wealth of current and always updating knowledge, use of gold standard evidence based practices and commitment to helping all ages and stages in ways most real for them, make Julee an invaluable resource for anyone with questions, concerns, issues and disorders related to talking and/or eating.

Julee custom blends Western “current” evidence-based care approaches with ancient wisdom traditions to expertly craft solutions tailored specifically for real improvements in communication and nourishment on all levels. Julee is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking their ideal guidance. Using a combination of approaches for YOUR best outcomes now and later with feeding, communication, development and lifetime wellbeing.

Offering consultations, assessments, treatments, coaching and counseling.

Individual and group sessions, in person and virtually.

Specialty curated events by invitation only.