Julia Ortega

Julia Ortega is a Licensed Behavioral Health Therapist based at CHI’s Key West Health Center. In 2003, she earned a Master’s degree in Social Work from Barry University in Miami. She went on to complete her undergraduate studies at Miami Dade College and Florida International University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

A Miami native, Ortega has worked with families impacted by domestic violence in a court and shelter setting. She has also worked for more than ten years for the foster care system in Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. In 2013, Julia relocated to Key West where she had the opportunity to work at the island’s psychiatric hospital. She served individuals in the inpatient setting and managed the Intensive Outpatient Program. Prior to joining CHI, Ortega worked with children of military members in schools at the Naval Base in Key West.

For the past 18 years, Ortega has had the opportunity to serve people from various backgrounds across diverse settings and is dedicated to continuing this work, particularly helping those facing adversities. She enjoys providing counseling and therapy as well as support with transitions, advocating and providing guidance to her patients. She is honored to support patients and their loved ones using a strengths-based perspective and empathic approach.

In her free time, Ortega enjoys traveling with her husband, bicycling around the island with their two dogs in tow, tending to her plants and being on the water.