About
You may be the one everyone counts on. You keep the household running, remember every appointment, carry everyone's emotions — and still feel a quiet ache that something in you has gone missing. From the outside it looks like you're handling it. Inside, you're tired, anxious, and lonelier than you'd admit out loud.
I'm Michelle Johnson, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Huntington Beach. I work with women, couples, and families who are ready to stop performing and start feeling connected again — to themselves, to the people they love, and to God.
Many of the women I see are over-functioning moms and wives: capable, faithful, deeply responsible, and running on empty. Others come to me carrying betrayal in a marriage, grief, childhood wounds that still shape adult relationships, anxiety that won't quiet down, depression that dulls everything, or a season of change that has left them unsure who they are now. Some are married, some are single, some are parenting, some are rebuilding. All are welcome.
My approach is warm, direct, and collaborative. I'm trained in EMDR and use trauma-informed, attachment-based, and body-aware work to help you process what still hurts rather than manage around it. With couples, I focus on rebuilding safety, honesty, and emotional connection — particularly after betrayal or years of quiet distance. With families, I help parents and children move out of conflict cycles and back toward understanding.
Faith is welcome in this space. I'll follow your lead on how much you want scripture, prayer, or spiritual questions woven into our work — including the honest, hard questions about God that often surface alongside pain. You will never be rushed, shamed, or handed a verse in place of real care.
You may also meet Champ, my English Labrador Retriever and registered therapy dog. When a client chooses to include him, his calm, steady presence helps make hard conversations feel a little more possible. Champ joins sessions only by your choice and with your consent — his presence is always optional.
Reaching out is often the hardest step, especially for women who are used to being the strong one. If any of this sounds like your life right now, I'd be glad to talk with you and help you decide whether we're a good fit.
Sessions are available in person in Huntington Beach and by telehealth throughout California. I accept insurance through Headway and also work with self-pay clients.
