Hi, I’m Laura Johnson, LCSW.
(she/her/hers)
Laura is a therapist who works with adolescents and adults navigating anxiety, OCD, eating disorders, and neurodivergency-related issues. She takes a compassionate, warm approach to care, integrating modalities like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). She works to help clients build practical skills while developing a more flexible, values-driven relationship with their own thoughts, emotions, and internal experiences.
What made you decide to go into this specialty?
I’ve always been passionate about understanding how people experience different patterns of thinking and how they make sense of their lived experiences. I’m especially interested in the way our brains develop patterns and strategies to “help as best they can,” even when those patterns aren’t always effective. I find it meaningful to support clients in better understanding how their minds work. Through both personal interest and clinical experience, I’ve developed a focus in the specialty areas listed above, and I value helping clients make sense of their experiences while building skills that feel realistic, supportive, and aligned with their day-to-day lives.
Education & Trainings:
Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology & Sociology; Minor in Environmental Studies (University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana)
Master’s in Clinical Social Work (University of Chicago)
Completed trainings in:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Brain-Spotting
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI)
Specialties:
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Eating Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Neurodivergence (including ADHD & Autism)
LGBTQ+ / Queer & Gender-Affirming Care