The more you know about therapies like Brainspotting Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Deep Brain Reorienting, EMDR Therapy, and Internal Family Systems, the more you can move forward to heal.
About Encouraging Hand Trauma Counseling.
Our Expertise
Our Expertise
Our Expertise
At Encouraging Hand Trauma Counseling, we have years of experience helping individuals navigate life’s challenges with compassion and expertise. We specialize in supporting clients facing anxiety, attachment issues, depression, panic, trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex trauma, and relationship concerns.
Our Services
Our Expertise
Our Expertise
We offer a range of evidence-based counseling services, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Our clinicians also have specialized training and experience supporting first responders, veterans, and medical and mental health professionals.
We offer a range of evidence-based counseling services, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Our clinicians also have specialized training and experience supporting first responders, veterans, and medical and mental health professionals. In addition, we provide affirming care for LGBTQ+ individuals and compassionate support for those in recovery.
Our Approach
Our Expertise
Our Approach
Our approach to therapy is grounded in empathy, compassion, and a nonjudgmental perspective. We are committed to creating a calm, welcoming, and supportive environment where clients feel safe exploring their thoughts and emotions while building the skills and tools needed to thrive. Our therapy is brain-body based, emphasizing the powerfu
Our approach to therapy is grounded in empathy, compassion, and a nonjudgmental perspective. We are committed to creating a calm, welcoming, and supportive environment where clients feel safe exploring their thoughts and emotions while building the skills and tools needed to thrive. Our therapy is brain-body based, emphasizing the powerful connection between the mind and body in the healing process.
Meet Paula Johnson.
Welcome
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about me. I am honored that you are here and considering me as part of your healing journey.
If you have participated in traditional talk therapy and found yourself feeling stuck or not experiencing the progress you hoped for, you are not alone. While insight and conversation are important, meaningful healing often requires more than simply talking through challenges.
My approach incorporates evidence-based therapeutic modalities designed to help clients process experiences, create lasting change, and move toward a more fulfilling life.
Before becoming a therapist, I spent more than 25 years in the corporate world, leading teams through supervision, training, hiring, and professional development. Throughout those years, the most rewarding aspect of my work was helping others recognize their strengths, overcome obstacles, and reach their full potential. Although I enjoyed mentoring and supporting others, I felt increasingly called to pursue a career centered on helping people in a deeper, more meaningful capacity.
My passion for therapy emerged while volunteering at a crisis center, where I witnessed firsthand the transformative impact that compassionate mental health support can have during life's most challenging moments. That experience confirmed what I had long suspected—that helping others heal was the work I was meant to do.
As both a trauma survivor and someone who has engaged in the ongoing work of healing and growth, I understand the courage, resilience, and vulnerability required to navigate the recovery process. My personal experiences, combined with professional training and clinical expertise, allow me to approach therapy with both empathy and understanding.
My mission is to help individuals move beyond survival and create lives characterized by healing, resilience, connection, and fulfillment. Through trauma-informed counseling, I strive to provide a safe, supportive environment where clients can explore their experiences, develop new insights, and build meaningful change.
I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. Every individual brings unique experiences, strengths, and goals into the counseling process. I integrate evidence-based practices, specialized training, creativity, and lived experience to tailor treatment to each client's specific needs and circumstances.
I am a Christian; however, I do not impose my personal beliefs within the therapeutic relationship. Consistent with my professional ethics and licensure requirements, my focus remains on each client's values, goals, and worldview. For clients who consider faith or spirituality an important part of their healing journey, I am happy to thoughtfully and respectfully incorporate those elements into our work together.
Taking the first step toward healing can feel overwhelming, but you do not have to walk that path alone. If you are ready to begin a new chapter of growth, healing, and transformation, I would be honored to walk alongside you and support you on your journey.
Professional Trainings.
- Deep Brain Reorienting Level 3-Dr. Frank Corrigan.
- Internal Family Systems Level 1.
- Advanced EMDR training in relational & attachment EMDR.
- Advance BSP Training-Mindful C0-Regulation.
- Advanced BSP P.T.S.D. and Parts Work.
- Deep Brain Reorienting Level 1 and 2- Dr. Jessica Christine-Sands.
- Advance BSP Training-From Freeze to Thaw.
- Emergency Responder and Public Safety Certified Clinician.
- Advanced Training in Structural Dissociation- Healing the Whole Self- Part 1 and 2 Sarah Jenkins.
- Advanced Stress Studies - Bessel Van der Kolk.
- Brainspotting Phase 1,2, 3 & 4.
- Advanced EMDR Sand Tray Therapy- Ana Gomez.
- Advanced Training EMDR and Grief.
- Neurobiology of Grief.
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional.
- Trauma Treatment Certification Training-Janina Fisher.
- Adult Attachment Relationships-Jana Pressley, PsyD.
- Certified Family Trauma Professional.
- Certified Child and Adolescent Trauma Professional.
- 2018 EMDRIA- Basic Training.
Professional Experience.
Professional Experience
I bring experience across multiple levels of care and diverse populations, including community mental health, the Department of Child Safety, psychiatric hospitals, Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), and outpatient group settings for adults and adolescents.
I have worked extensively with veterans, police, fire, and emergency response professionals, and have provided supervision to clinicians and other health professionals. My experience also includes supporting individuals in pregnancy crisis centers, members of the LGBTQ+ community, refugees, older adults, children, and adolescents.
This breadth of experience allows me to offer informed, compassionate, and culturally responsive care to individuals and families across the lifespan.