Catherine Johnston
Practical support for stress, addiction, and relationship strain
- Credentials
- LPC
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed in
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
- Format
- Online sessions
About Catherine
Catherine Johnston is a licensed professional counselor with more than 21 years of hands-on experience. She uses straightforward, practical methods to help people facing stress, anxiety, addiction, depression, grief, and relationship concerns. Catherine writes and talks plainly in sessions so clients can make steady progress without getting lost in jargon.
Her style focuses on building understanding and strength. She helps clients identify patterns that cause pain and then practices small, concrete changes together.
Background and approach
The work often includes learning new coping tools and practicing them between meetings. Catherine draws from several evidence-based approaches, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral techniques, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. These tools are used to address challenges like low self-esteem, intimacy-related issues, eating concerns, anger, career stress, and compassion fatigue.
Clients also bring complex histories such as trauma, domestic violence, substance use, caregiver strain, blended family questions, or feelings of emptiness and shame. Catherine aims to create a steady space where people can talk through those issues and make choices aligned with their values. She practices in Michigan and conducts sessions in English.
Catherine describes therapy as a collaborative process that combines listening, practical skill-building, and clear goals to help people move forward from difficult moments.
Therapeutic approaches and online care that fit your life
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting stuck in them, then identifies values to guide real-life choices. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting unhelpful thinking and testing small behavioral changes to reduce anxiety or depression. Motivational Interviewing is a conversational style that increases a person’s own motivation for change through empathy and focused questions.Finding the right approach is part of the work. Catherine collaborates with each person to choose and adapt methods based on their goals, preferences, and the problems they bring to sessions. That means trying techniques together and adjusting the plan if something isn’t helpful.
Online therapy lets people fit support into busy lives. Video calls recreate a face-to-face talk, phone sessions give easy access when screens aren’t convenient, and live chat or text messaging offer brief check-ins and ongoing support between meetings. These options provide flexibility and make it easier to practice new skills in real time and in everyday settings.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Less about arguing with difficult thoughts, more about loosening their grip and acting on what matters to you anyway. Values and committed action carry the work, which suits conversation at a distance.
Client-Centered Therapy
The direction comes from you rather than from a set programme. The therapist offers a warm, non-judgemental space to think out loud and work at your own pace. Online, this rests on the relationship rather than on being in the same room.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT looks at the link between what you think, how you feel, and what you do. You work on noticing unhelpful patterns and practising steadier responses. It suits online sessions well, because much of the work happens between appointments and can be talked through from anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
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Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Addictions
- Relationship issues
Also works with
- Abandonment
- Aging and geriatric issues
- Anger management
- Blended family issues
- Career difficulties
- Caregiver issues and stress
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Communication problems
- Compassion fatigue
- Control issues
- Coping with life changes
- Depression
- Divorce and separation
- Domestic violence
- Drug and alcohol addiction
- Eating disorders
- Emptiness
- Family conflicts
- Family problems
- First responder issues
- Forgiveness
- Grief
- Guilt and shame
- Infidelity
- Intimacy-related issues
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Money and financial issues
- Mood disorders
- Parenting issues
- Postpartum depression
- Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling)
- Self esteem
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexual assault and abuse
- Trauma and abuse
- Women's issues
- Young adult issues
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 21 years
- Licensed
- Michigan
- Languages
- English
Next step
Talk to Catherine
- Takes a few minutes
- Nothing to set up just to look
- Stop at any point