About My Clients
Therapy is a powerful tool, but what if we integrated it with meditation, breath work and movement to address trauma, depression, OCD and other forms of emotional distress? Our clients are interested in their ability to heal through powerful methods and reduce both emotional and physical pain, which are often closely connected. Social, environmental and cultural factors are also examined, which impact functioning and are often pivotal in informing identity.
My Background and Approach
I'm Dr. Patty Johnson, clinical psychologist and owner at Nia. Our team follows an integrative behavioral medicine model, utilizing powerful mind-body treatments, because after all, mental health is medical health. We provide psychotherapy as well as psychological testing for ADHD, developmental assessment, cognitive concerns such as memory changes and diagnosis clarification. We offer a free phone consultation so that we may discuss your goals for treatment and explore whether an integrative approach is a match with what you are seeking. Our office is located in downtown Oak Park and easily accessible by car or via the Green line's Harlem exit. We offer virtual and in-person treatment.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
I believe we strive for health and healing, and seek to do this in community, which may look a little different for all of us. Community may be a large family or one person we choose to love as though they've been our family all along. We may tap into sources within us without even realizing it, for instance, identify strengths passed down through generations, have ways we breathe to regulate ourselves, have moments when we instinctively know to take a nap or to shift away from a stressful event. All we are is informed by our history, the ways we hurt, the ways we cope and the ways we heal. Belonging is a fundamental need, therefore, exclusion is deeply harmful. I have written on my experiences as a woman of color in Essays of Night and Daylight and spoke on it in a TEDx talk on changing the narrative of inequity, so others can know they're not alone. I offer writing groups to write, meditate and process together on how systemic factors impact us, and ways we can heal in community.