Michelle Johnson, MS, MA, LPC

Michelle Johnson is a Professional Counselor licensed by the state of Texas with more than 20 years of experience in mental and behavioral health. She holds master's degrees in Juvenile Forensic Psychology and Counseling Psychology. She is certified in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and as a Cognitive Processing Therapy provider for PTSD.

Michelle specializes in working with adults experiencing bipolar disorder, anxiety, and PTSD. Her approach to therapy is practical, collaborative, and individualized. She helps clients better understand the thoughts, emotions, experiences, and patterns that may be affecting how they feel and function, while developing skills they can use in everyday life.

Why this work matters to me

As a child, I remember hearing the story of the duckling who believed it was ugly, only to later discover it was a beautiful swan. That story stayed with me. Even at a young age, I was drawn to understanding how people see themselves and how those beliefs can affect the way they experience their lives.

Years later, that interest became part of my work as a therapist. I have learned that what we see on the surface does not always tell us what is happening underneath. Thoughts, emotions, past experiences, expectations, and learned patterns can all influence how we interpret situations and how we respond to them. In many ways, I see therapy as holding up a mirror, not creating the image, but helping you see more clearly what may already be there.

In therapy, I do not see my role as telling you how to live your life or deciding what is best for you. My role is to help you better understand what you are experiencing, recognize patterns that may be contributing to distress, consider different perspectives, and develop practical skills that support your treatment goals.

Therapy is not one-size-fits-all. The approach we use depends on what you are experiencing, your treatment goals, and what will be most helpful in addressing your needs. I draw from evidence-based therapeutic approaches and adapt our work as we learn more about what is affecting you and what supports meaningful change.

Therapy can involve looking at difficult experiences, challenging familiar ways of thinking, and practicing different responses. Change does not require you to have everything figured out before you begin. We start with what you are experiencing, work to understand what may be contributing to it, and build from there.

-Michelle