Emily Johnson MSW LICSW PMH-C

Young people commonly struggle with mental health symptoms. It's tough getting to know yourself while dealing with stress, life, and school. Therapy can help young people manage difficulties with peers, transitions in their family, trouble with school, identity exploration, and grief/loss. While some mental health symptoms are influenced by genetics, depression and anxiety are often situational in this age group. Either way, symptoms improve with support.

Did you know that 1 in 5-7 women and 1 in 10 men experience a perinatal mental health disorder? It's the most common complication of childbirth, more than pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes. Perinatal mood & anxiety disorders occur during pregnancy or during the first year postpartum. The "baby blues" is a normal phenomenon, but if it lasts longer than two weeks, it's likely something more. You're not doing this wrong, and you deserve to receive support so you can feel like yourself again.

Many factors influence a person's mental health: biology (like genetics and hormones), early life experiences, individual and community stressors, or just feeling like we are supposed to be able to do it all. The therapeutic relationship helps people feel seen, valued, and understood. This is the jumping off point to exploring what works and what could change. I have extensive trauma training and experience including TFCBT for ages 18 and under.

Feminist therapy takes in to account the systems that influence our lives and in turn, our mental health. The patriarchy hurts everyone, including men. Under patriarchy, no one is able to express their full range of human emotions, and every gender (excluding cis white men) gets oppressed. Unequal division of labor and patriarchy fueled double standards profoundly impact parenting and the workplace. Having our eyes open to these systems during healing is empowering and validating.

Our earliest experiences often leave an impression on us for a lifetime, and healing comes in layers depending on where we are in our lifespan. Trauma therapy creates safe spaces to tell our stories. What did it mean to me then, and what does it mean for me now? By decreasing avoidance to trauma reminders, building safety and skills, and owning our story, the trauma is still part of who we are, but doesn't get to drive our decisions and reactions as it once did.

At the heart of therapy is the relationship between a therapist and client. But before that, relationships taught us about ourselves and the world. They literally helped wire our brains! Psychodynamic oriented therapists pay attention to how experiences in the past impact our self-concept and relationships that are playing out now. Often we feel more comfortable in patterns that are familiar to us, even if they aren't the most helpful. In the therapy room we can try something different.

Feminist therapy takes in to account systems that make life harder for people. The patriarchy hurts everyone, even men! Under patriarchy, no one is able express their full human self. All genders (except cis white men) are oppressed. Unequal division of labor and double standards commonly impact home life, parenting, and the workplace. Acknowledging the reality of the patriarchy in therapy is validating and empowering.