Julie Bjelland is a psychotherapist, adult autism assessor, author, educator, and founder of the Sensitive & Neurodivergent Community, Podcast, and Blog.
Her work focuses on neurodiversity-affirming identification and support for late-discovered autistic women, gender-diverse adults, and highly sensitive people, with particular attention to internal experience, masking, nervous system load, burnout, sensory needs, and the lifelong impact of being misunderstood.
Julie’s work centers the internal experience of sensitive and neurodivergent people, especially those whose needs have been overlooked because they learned to adapt, mask, push through, or appear fine on the outside.
Neurodiversity-affirming clinical autism assessment with particular attention to women, gender-diverse adults, sensitive adults, masking, internal experience, sensory patterns, and presentations often missed in adulthood.
LEARN ABOUT AUTISM ASSESSMENTS →Practical education about burnout, nervous system needs, self-compassion, sensory overwhelm, boundaries, communication, relationships, identity, and everyday wellbeing.
EXPLORE RESOURCES →A private global community where sensitive and neurodivergent adults can connect, learn, participate at their own pace, and spend time with people who understand.
EXPLORE THE COMMUNITY →Julie brings together psychotherapy training, years of work with sensitive and neurodivergent people, and her own lived experience as a late-discovered autistic and queer woman.
Her approach is grounded in curiosity about what is happening internally rather than relying only on outward behavior. She is especially interested in the hidden effort behind functioning, including social interpretation load, sensory strain, masking, delayed processing, relational vigilance, and the recovery cost of appearing fine.
Across her clinical, educational, and community work, Julie aims to help people replace self-blame with more accurate self-understanding and create support around how their nervous system actually works.
Julie’s work with highly sensitive people explores nervous system needs, overwhelm, self-understanding, boundaries, self-compassion, and ways to create a life that better supports sensitivity.
EXPLORE JULIE'S BOOKSA Clinician’s Guide to Neurodiversity-Affirming Identification and Support
Julie’s forthcoming W. W. Norton book focuses on understanding, identifying, and supporting autistic women through a neurodiversity-affirming lens.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JULIE'S BOOKSA few reflections from professionals who have experienced Julie’s teaching, leadership, and support.
“Julie Bjelland is my go-to HSP expert. She is a master of teaching sensitives to thrive in our overstimulating, sometimes harsh world. Julie awakened me to the gift that high sensitivity truly is through her research proven techniques for processing and building resilience. She brings a powerful combination of scientific facts and heartfelt compassion to everything that she shares. I would recommend Julie to anyone who wishes to own the gifts of their sensitivity under the guidance of someone who will empower you, cheer you on, and truly celebrate what it means to be sensitive!”
“Not only is Julie deeply committed to her work and an expert in her field, but she is a kind and compassionate leader. What I respect most is her curiosity and ability to create a safe space of learning and support for her community. She demonstrates a high level of integrity and a strong commitment to her core values. Whenever I interact with Julie, it’s been my experience that she truly lives what she teaches. Her caring and warmth are apparent in all she does.”
“Julie Bjelland inspires me! She brings such fierce intelligence and such a loving heart to her support of Highly Sensitive People. As an HSP myself, I find her work deeply validating and illuminating; I also share it widely, because it’s so very needed in this world.”
“Julie’s kind heart, wise guidance, and obvious passion and care for HSP’s truly shine through in everything she does. Her full dedication to educating the world about our unique experiences fulfills a deep community yearning, which many sensitive people missed out on during our formative years. Her genuine empathy and widespread message are a much-needed gift to the world.”
Whether you are exploring sensitivity, wondering if you may be autistic, recovering from burnout, looking for community, or simply trying to understand yourself with more compassion, you are welcome to begin with the resource that feels most useful today.