Susan Johnston , LMFT

Susan Johnston is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) practicing from Indiana with licensing in both Indiana and California - CA LMFT 124610 and IN LMFT 35001958A. She returned to college as an adult and has built a varied clinical background working with individuals, couples, and families across office settings, residential and group homes, inpatient mental health care, intensive outpatient treatment, probation services, and in a college academic environment. Her experience includes specialized training in addiction treatment, where she helped people and their families reconnect with hope and practical strategies for recovery.

Susan has worked with local residents as well as immigrant and refugee families, collaborating with professional interpreters to ensure respectful, culturally aware care. Her therapeutic approach blends humanistic and experiential methods with cognitive-emotional work, all grounded in family systems theory - an orientation that considers relationships and family patterns when addressing symptoms and goals. She aims to partner with each client, tailoring the plan of care to individual needs and priorities so progress reflects the client’s values and circumstances.

Susan focuses on a wide range of concerns including stress, anxiety, relationships, family dynamics, self-esteem, life transitions, addictions, LGBT issues, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related matters, parenting, anger, career challenges, and depression. With eight years of clinical experience, she emphasizes teamwork, practical skills, and emotional insight to help clients move toward clearer goals and renewed possibility.

Evidence-Informed Approaches for Online Care

Susan uses family systems-based work, which looks at how relationships and family patterns affect emotional health and behavior; this approach is helpful for relationship challenges, parenting concerns, and dynamics that contribute to stress. She also incorporates cognitive-emotional techniques that help people identify and shift unhelpful thinking and emotional responses, useful for anxiety, depression, and coping with life changes. Additionally, experiential and humanistic methods invite clients to explore feelings and personal meaning through active exercises and reflective dialogue, which can support healing from trauma, grief, and issues around intimacy.

Finding the right approach is part of the therapeutic process, and Susan collaborates with each person to determine which methods best match their needs, goals, and preferences. Together they adjust strategies over time so care stays practical and relevant.

Online therapy with Susan can be provided by video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging, offering flexibility for different schedules and comfort levels. These options make it easier to maintain consistent care from licensed professionals while balancing work, family, and other commitments.