About

About Julie Jensen

I support adults navigating grief, life transitions, chronic disorganisation and overwhelm in Melbourne and online.

PACFA Registered Clinical Counsellor
PACFA Registered Clinical Psychotherapist
Certified Thanatologist (death, dying and bereavement)

I’m Julie, a Melbourne-based counsellor and psychotherapist. I work with adults navigating loss or significant change, or whose lives have become more difficult to manage because of chronic disorganisation, overwhelm or difficulty with possessions.

These experiences can affect far more than the immediate situation. They can alter routines, relationships, identity, confidence and our sense of where we belong. My work accounts for both the emotional impact of what is happening and the practical realities of everyday life.

How I Came to This Work

My interest in grief, loss and life transitions deepened during my years working in the coronial jurisdiction. Witnessing the impact of death, trauma and sudden change on individuals and families led me to explore more deeply how people adapt when life no longer unfolds as expected.

During this time, my first husband was living with cancer and later died after a five-year illness. Continuing to work in the coronial system following his death deepened my appreciation of the many ways grief can affect people’s lives, relationships, identity and sense of the future.

This interest continued through postgraduate research into life transitions, counselling and psychotherapy training and specialist studies in grief and bereavement. I have also experienced significant transitions of my own, including caregiving, parenting, health challenges, redundancy and the deaths of both parents within a short period.

Together, these personal and professional experiences continue to shape the way I work today.

My Background and Experience

Before entering private practice, I spent more than 30 years working in the justice system. For eight of those years, I worked as a court registrar in the coronial jurisdiction. That experience shaped how I understand grief, trauma and uncertainty.

My foundational training is in counselling, with advanced clinical training in relational Gestalt psychotherapy. My work is informed by Gestalt principles, including an interest in present-moment experience, awareness, relationships and the wider context in which difficulties arise. I am interested in understanding not only what is happening, but how it is being lived and experienced.

As a Certified Thanatologist, I have specialised training in the study of death, dying and bereavement, including the emotional, relational, social and practical impacts of loss. Read more about thanatology and how it informs my work.

My work brings together grief, life transitions, chronic disorganisation, neurodivergence and overwhelm. I am interested in how loss, change, ADHD and executive functioning differences can affect not only the management of everyday life, but also a person’s sense of competence, identity and place in the world.

Grief and major life changes can disrupt concentration, motivation, routines and decision-making. Longstanding executive functioning differences may become more difficult to manage during study, caregiving, illness, retirement or other transitions. Chronic disorganisation and hoarding can affect relationships, safety, confidence and a person’s sense of belonging in their own home.

I work with both the emotional and practical dimensions of what is happening. This may include grief, shame, identity, relationships and attachment to possessions, alongside the everyday realities of planning, organising, completing tasks and adapting when old ways of coping no longer work.

People Often Come to Me When…

People often seek support when life feels different to what they expected, or when they are trying to find their footing in unfamiliar circumstances.

This may include:

• Adjusting to the death of a partner, parent, family member, friend or pet.
• Sorting through belongings after a death, downsizing or major life transition.
• Navigating retirement, redundancy, caregiving responsibilities, health changes or other significant life events.
• Living with chronic disorganisation, overwhelm, hoarding-related concerns or difficulty letting go of possessions.
• Managing the impact of ADHD, executive functioning differences, burnout or neurodivergence on study, work, home life and everyday responsibilities.

What You Can Expect When We Work Together

Many of the people who come to see me are living with situations that feel complicated, uncertain or difficult to talk about.

My role is not to rush toward solutions or tell you what to do. I take time to understand what is happening for you and what you want from counselling. Sometimes our work may focus on the emotional impact of what has happened; at other times it may be more practical. Often, the two are connected.

If you’d like to know more about how I work and what to expect, you can read more here.

The Thinking Behind My Work

Changes in Between grew from my interest in what happens when familiar ways of living no longer fit and what comes next is not yet clear.

The name reflects the spaces between loss and rebuilding, uncertainty and possibility, and the life we knew and the life that is still taking shape.

Read more about the philosophy and story behind Changes in Between.