Meet Julie Wensel
Julie Wensel
MA, AMFT
Meet Julie Wensel
Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, AMFT #136604
Therapy can have an incredible effect on a person’s life, their relationships, and the way they view themselves and the world. In my work, I create a place for you to reconnect to yourself and your needs so you can authentically connect to others, feel more grounded in your boundaries, and less overwhelmed.
I work with adults, couples/relationships and adolescents who are experiencing diverse struggles, such as lingering effects of trauma and complex trauma, relational difficulties, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, life transitions, and grief. I use a trauma-informed lens and borrow from different orientations such as relational psychodynamic, emotionally-focused therapy, attachment-based, and somatic therapy. As a therapist, I am gentle, straightforward, and highly respectful of your personal journey. I provide therapy in both Portuguese and English. I also work with LGBTQ+ folks and provide gender-affirming care.
When working with couples/relationships, I focus on processing internal experiences, recognizing and expressing needs, and understanding patterns of interaction so partners can feel more securely connected. I also enjoy working with other relationship configurations, such as polyamory and consensual non-monogamy. When working with adolescents, I take a creative approach and include the teen’s hobbies to make therapy more fun.
As your therapist, I believe you are the expert in yourself, and I collaborate with you to create a treatment plan that is unique to you, your needs, your culture, and life experiences.
Education and Experience
I earned a bachelor’s in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University and a Master’s of Arts in Counseling with an emphasis on Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling from Palo Alto University. I am a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT). Before my graduate studies, I worked for three years with neurodivergent children and families. During my graduate work, I trained at Maple Counseling providing relational psychodynamic therapy to adults experiencing diverse mental health struggles from various cultural backgrounds. At Maple, I also co-lead two process groups, Queer Space for LGBTQ+ folks, and Creating Meaningful Relationships for older adults.