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I am a LMHC therapist, public speaker community organizer, social and environmental activist and have been listening for decades. I received my formal education at University of North Florida as Master of Clinical Psychotherapy, 2013. I also took a 9-month internship under Ed Wilder, in Clinical Pastoral Education, in deep listening. I worked in the Talk program at Wounded Warrior for 8 months- the warriors talked; I listened.
Did you go through trauma? Are you, right now, in a high stress situation? Do you keep losing your patience or your professionalism at the wrong moment and you don’t know why? Do you keep getting in your own way? I use Trauma Supportive Therapy to safely address, as slowly as need be, the pain of the past that keeps coming to trip your defenses at all the wrong moments, in your present. I can be that supporting presence who will help sort it out by listening- really hearing you. Reflect your depth of feelings back to you. Validate what are your unmet emotional needs. I practice the therapy of defining personal meaning, so, together we will facilitate your thinking of your options, planning, purpose, and goals for living a meaningful life without being afraid of tripping over your past or yourself.
I practice person centered therapy by meeting you where you are. I strive to be culturally sensitive, non-prejudicial and use strength-based therapy as a jump point, truly believing I am the guide for you, but you are the treasure/wisdom keeper. Of all the reasons people come to therapy: anger, guilt, anxiety, changes, transitions, depression, trauma, jealousy, and “it is just not working anymore”, the extra burden of race and racism is more than just a nuance to be nodded at in therapy. I will view race as central to all the other pieces, when it is central to you.
I am inclusive, secular, competent, affirming and non-judgmental. I have worked with people in transition, people who are very much defined, “but things got complicated”, people in the communities of LGBTQA, Polyamory, Kink, non-gendered. Each are safe and welcome here.
Professional experience
11yrs in practice
Stress, AnxietyTrauma, AbuseGriefDepressionCoping with life changes
Additional areas of focus:LGBT, Relationship issues, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Self esteem, Bipolar disorder, ADHD, Abandonment, BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture, Blended family issues, Body image, Caregiver issues and stress, Communication problems, Control issues, Divorce and separation, Domestic violence, Eating and food-related issues, Family of origin issues, Fertility issues, First responder issues, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Hoarding, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Life purpose, Mood disorders, Multicultural concerns, Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD, Polyamory / non-monogamous relationships, Post-traumatic stress, Prejudice and discrimination, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-love, Sexual assault and abuse, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Traumatic brain injury, Women's issues, Young adult issues
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Margaret Johnston. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
She’s great! A good listener who says what needs to be said while creating a safe environment without judgement.
Written on Dec 23, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, and intimacy-related issues
I have started & stopped therapy several times because I’ve never quite ‘clicked’ with my therapist, or felt that they understood or cared about what I had experienced. Then I met Margaret Johnston.
Margaret is deeply empathetic & an attentive listener. Even though I know she has many clients, she always seems to remember my story, where we left off & where I want to get to in a subsequent session. She is funny when appropriate, I didn’t expect to laugh in therapy. She is very relatable. But mostly she is compassionate. I highly recommend Margaret & the Better Help platform. It has made a difference in my life.
Written on Dec 06, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 7 months on issues concerning trauma and abuse
I've been in therapy before. Mostly, I've talked a lot and the therapists have listened patiently but not said much in return, unlike Ms. Johnston, who has said things to me to guide me to reevaluate my thought process or perceptions. She has successfully led me to several epiphanies already, and I feel more mentally stable after only two months of therapy. She is open minded and non-judgemental, and I feel comfortable sharing my deepest secrets with her. I would recommend her highly as a therapist.
Written on Nov 25, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, and adhd
Margaret is an incredible listener. She is patient and intelligent. She quickly gets to the heart of the matter, and has a calm yet direct way of giving her assessment, asking questions to encourage self exploration deeper into the issue, and relevant tools to promote that exploration. After only about a month I think I've made significant progress working with Margaret. I know I have a lot more to work through but I am extremely grateful to have her here to guide me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Written on Oct 13, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, grief, self esteem, and coping with life changes
She's personable and human
Written on Oct 07, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, trauma and abuse, bipolar disorder, coping with life changes, and adhd
Great work so far. She’s straight to the point with new tools.
Written on Oct 04, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, and coping with life changes
Margaret is patient and calm and easy to talk to. She pointed out some good things and gave me a new perspective. I will book her again.
Written on Sep 30, 2024 after therapy with Margaret for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, and family conflicts
Margaret is exactly the right person for you if you want to be heard, understood and not judged. She has given me great advice and tools to cope with the many issues I have had to battle with. Most importantly, I've never felt like I'm talking to a therapist but actually to a person who genuinely cares and is in my corner.
Written on Nov 17, 2023 after therapy with Margaret for 2 months on issues concerning relationship issues, grief, intimacy-related issues, and self esteem
She’s very kind, knowledgeable, and understanding! I’m excited to continue working with her!
Written on Jul 14, 2023 after therapy with Margaret for 1 month on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, coping with life changes, and adhd
Margaret is an excellent, kind, open minded therapist, who makes me feel seen and supported. My friends have struggled when trying to find a good therapist on betterhelp, but with Margaret I feel like I have hit the jackpot!
Written on Jul 09, 2023 after therapy with Margaret for 1 year and 2 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, coping with life changes, and adhd
So far a great therapy experience with Margaret.
Written on Mar 16, 2023 after therapy with Margaret for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, self esteem, anger management, career difficulties, and adhd
Really lovely therapist and very supportive, but unfortunately I was not very consistent with my sessions and feel that we lost touch
Written on Feb 04, 2023 after therapy with Margaret for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, lgbt, relationship issues, family conflicts, eating disorders, self esteem, and career difficulties
Margaret has been amazing since session number 1. I felt very supported and understood, she provided me several resources, advice and explanations for different issues.
I always felt like the sky got a bit brighter after each session. Thank you Margaret!
Written on Oct 20, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 5 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, trauma and abuse, sleeping disorders, coping with life changes, and adhd
Margaret has been an absolutely amazing therapist. She's really helped me with issues around gender identity and chronic conditions. She's allowed me to connect with myself and other people in a way that I hadn't been able to for a while.
Highly reccomend seeing her!
Written on Oct 15, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 4 months on issues concerning depression, eating disorders, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Margaret has been wonderful. Thank you
Written on Sep 28, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, grief, parenting issues, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Margaret is a great therapist! I always learn so much from our sessions together. She really helps you understand the deeper issues at hand and what you can do to work through them. I'm very happy with the progress I've made so far.
Written on Sep 11, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 3 months on issues concerning stress, anxiety, eating disorders, and self esteem
Margaret has been invaluable with helping me navigate recent emotional turbulence. Without her I wouldn’t have come out the other side of things as calmly and collectedly.
She assisted me in developing strategies to deal with short term uncomfortable scenarios as well as long term situations that I will be encountering for many years to come.
I am so overwhelmingly satisfied with the work we’ve done together and am a better person through and through because of the work she helped me to do on myself.
Written on Aug 12, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 3 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, coping with life changes, and adhd
Johnston is a fantastic therapist. She is an incredible listener and does a tremendous job of helping you understand and unpack your thoughts and feelings and where they may have originated. Moreover, Johnston provided various exercises that helped me push through difficult days when I wasn't feeling my best. All in all, I'm incredibly thankful that I got the opportunity to have Johnston as my therapist because she helped me out tremendously when I needed it the most.
Written on Jul 07, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 2 months on issues concerning depression, grief, and coping with life changes
I’ve had various therapists on and off throughout my life and hands down she has helped me far more in just a few sessions than any other therapist has. Her style is the perfect mixture of attentive listening, sharing, providing feedback, & offering tools and different ways of thinking about things. I am so pleased with the way things are going and I truly feel that with Margaret’s help, I can work through setbacks that have been holding me back my entire life.
Written on Jun 24, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, lgbt, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and adhd
This was my first time at therapy and Margaret made it a wonderful experience. She made me feel extremely comfortable and confident, I reached my therapy goals and had excellent practical solutions to problems. Highly recommend.
Written on Jun 15, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 1 month on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, and grief
At first I was hesitant when it came to doing therapy after such a long time, but after my breakup with my boyfriend I decided I should go to therapy to help myself be in a better position and to understand myself better. I got paired with Margaret and she is a really amazing therapist, she’s the type to think about your thoughts with you out loud and always puts yourself as a priority and will tell you how to handle things in a good manner, she knows how to have a good laugh as well to make the sessions more easier and go smoothly and I would highly recommend her for anyone that is struggling with adjustment changes, depression and anxiety. She’s been a great help! Thank you Margaret !
Written on May 26, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 3 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, lgbt, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, intimacy-related issues, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, self esteem, career difficulties, bipolar disorder, compassion fatigue, and adhd
Margaret is incredibly understanding, and works hard to create a supportive environment. From the first session, I could tell how much she cares, and my respect for her has only increased since then. I couldn't recommend her enough!
Written on May 25, 2022 after therapy with Margaret for 3 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, lgbt, trauma and abuse, eating disorders, and adhd
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