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, depression, 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 rooted in empathy, compassion, and non-judgment. We strive to create a calm, welcoming and supportive environment where our clients feel comfortable exploring their thoughts and feelings, and where they can develop the skills and tools they need to thrive.
Meet Paula Johnson.
Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to learn more about me. I’m truly honored you’re here.
If you’ve felt stuck in traditional talk therapy without experiencing the progress you hoped for, you’re not alone. My approach goes beyond simply talking about problems—I focus on helping clients achieve meaningful healing and lasting change.
Before becoming a counselor, I spent 25 years in the corporate world supervising, training, hiring, and leading teams. Supporting people in reaching their full potential was always the most rewarding part of my work. After years of demanding schedules and long workweeks, I felt called to pursue a more purpose-driven path centered on helping others in a deeper way.
I discovered my passion for counseling while volunteering at a crisis center, where I witnessed the profound impact compassionate support can have during life’s most difficult moments. That experience confirmed for me that this was the work I was meant to do.
As a trauma survivor and thriver myself, I understand both the challenges and the hope that come with the healing process. My mission is to help other trauma survivors move beyond survival and build lives where they can truly thrive.
If you’re ready to begin a new path forward, I would be honored to walk alongside you.
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.