briana johnson, lpc, lac (she/her)

 

My personal story

I’m curious about the world and interested in almost any topic. I tend to panic when asked what my hobbies are and say that I knit, which, while true, does not always make me a hit at parties. Like any self-respecting millenial, I love brunch and patios. In my free time, you’ll catch me scrambling to finish the latest book for my murder mystery book club, doing yoga, or watching trashy dating shows. It's called balance, okay?

I’ve wanted to be a therapist since I knew what that was, and my friends nicknamed me “the psychiatrist” on the playground as a kid. I love people—their stories, dreams, and quirks—and I’m not a big fan of small talk, so this work has been a good fit. I’m deeply grateful for the work I get to do and consider it a privilege that I talk to people about how to do life well every day.

I am a queer professional who’s faced imposter syndrome, burnout, and started my own business to create a sustainable life where I can thrive. I’m on my own journey of learning to rest and pursue the things I most value in life. I want to walk alongside others in creating lives we love that feel sustainable.

My Professional Story

The heart of my clinical work is queer and trans work. I figured out I was queer in graduate school and started my clinical journey a decade ago in my internship at the Gender Identity Center of Colorado in Denver working with transgender adults.

That set me on a path of working at almost every level of care (from outpatient to intensive residential treatment) focusing on LGBTQ therapy in Denver.

Along the way I took a job because I needed one (as one does) at a substance use treatment facility and fell in love with substance use therapy. We use substances to meet human needs; substances are just usually bad at delivering on this long-term.

Eventually, I was running into issues related to trauma with most of my clients. I pursued in-depth training that would yield tangible therapy skills and am now trained in EMDR and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Trauma Themes.

As I think with clients about how to create sustainable lives where they can thrive, relationships are often huge components of this. Relationships are so important to us as humans but sometimes we have been hurt by people close to us or we just never learned to communicate effectively.

In our society work is often central. The pandemic seems to have brought about a reckoning in this area (which I’m happy for) and I love to help clients make their work lives more fulfilling and less draining.

My identities:

When we do therapy we both bring different identities into the work. Some of these are more visible, some less so. Among other things, I am white, straight-passing, queer, and able-bodied. Some of those things we might share, and I expect some we won’t. My goal is to make it a safe enough place that we can talk about these when we need to.

I want to understand how your identities show up in your life and the systems you’re a part of. These have a significant impact on mental (and physical) health and we honestly can’t address your mental health well without addressing these!

Treatment Modalities

In case you’re looking for a specific approach, you should know I’ve had training in:

  • DBT is based in mindfulness and provides many hands-on skills to cope with emergencies, managing emotions day-to-day, and having better relationships. I often focus on the relationship skills to help clients cultivate richer relationships and manage conflict.

  • CBT helps us to identify automatic thoughts that are not helping us feel better or act in ways we like. By noticing and gently challenging our thoughts, we can shift the ways we feel and ultimately act.

  • ACT helps us to create a different relationship to our difficult emotions and live a life in line with our values. We can acknowledge feelings like anxiety are present without letting them stop us from doing things that matter to us.

  • MI can help you get clarity on what you want in life and how and when to move forward. I use MI when addressing big decisions clients are making or in helping address substance use. MI assumes you are the expert in your life and helps you get where YOU want to go.

  • EMDR allows us to use the body and mind's natural systems to reprocess traumatic memories and take the charge out of them. This helps you feel better in your body, less affected by trauma symptoms, and be better able to move forward in your life. It is the closest I come to magic in my office!

  • SP allows us to access past trauma through the body. As we allow body sensations or movements to come to completion, we let trauma resolve instead of staying stuck within us. I often use SP in conjunction with EMDR.

If you have questions about how I incorporate various treatment modalities into my therapy (and for what diagnoses or problems), let’s set up a consultation! I’m happy to answer your specific questions!

My credentials:

  • Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor

  • Colorado Licensed Addiction Counselor

  • Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology and French

  • EMDR Trained (via the Maiberger Institute)

  • Sensorimotor Psychotherapy-Level I Trauma Themes (via the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Instititute)

  • Best Laugh—High School Senior Superlative

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