ABOUT US

Meet AJ

A woman smiling at the camera near a body of water under a blue sky, wearing a sleeveless shirt with a graphic design.
Text in a circular arrangement that says, 'Empowered Mind The Heart' and 'Centre' in the middle.

AJ Johnson,
AMFT

Pre-licensed Clinician 

Pronouns: they/them
aj@empoweredmindca.com
Languages: English

About Me

I am a neurodivergent, multi-racial, queer, trans non-binary clinician with lived and living experience of trauma. I am in recovery from childhood (lol), from toxic sports culture as an ex-professional basketball player, and from the hyper-individualistic exploitative paradigm of white supremacist capitalist patriarchy. I bring both my professional training and personal healing journey into the room and see myself as a fellow traveller on this human journey. Clients describe me as compassionate and deeply attuned — a therapist committed to co-creating safety and authentically showing up in a way that welcomes others to share their authentic selves too. They’ve told me I offer guidance that is both validating and stretching, creating space for real growth and reflection, because I’m not afraid to hold your hand while calling you into facing hard truths with a mix of warmth, straight talk, and humor that’s debatable at best. I genuinely consider healing to be a sacred process and it is the privilege of my life to walk alongside folks who decide, again and again, to lean into the courage and vulnerability that it asks of them. I have a deep sense of reverence for my clients, my teachers, our ancestors and all that is unseen which guides us along our journeys and I strive to offer myself in a way that meets the responsibilities I lovingly take up as a care worker. Outside of my role as a therapist, I’m learning how to play again- revisiting music out of the Hyphy Movement circa 2005 really helps. I freaking love being outside, losing myself in the intentional-paying-attention-to the wonder and magic and beauty of nature, letting myself be enchanted by the trees and the birds and the waves and the sunsets as a spiritual practice. And I’m also learning how to let myself do things poorly and currently practicing with drag make-up and writing poetry.

Two women smiling and taking a selfie together, one dressed in colorful, exaggerated makeup with a large hairdo, and the other with long wavy hair and multiple piercings.

Education & Licensure

Master of Science, Couples & Family Therapy, University of Oregon (2014)

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, University of Oregon (2010)

Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, University of Oregon (2010)

Certification or Training

EMDR with Complex Trauma via EMDR Cleveland (2026- ongoing)
EMDR Training Parts 1 & 2 completed through EMDR Training Australia and New Zealand (September 2024)
Motivational Interviewing Foundations (June 2024)
Clinical Applications of Internal Family Systems Therapy (December 2023) EMDR & Parts Work for Treating Complex Trauma (December 2023)
SMART Facilitator Training for Substance Use (September 2022)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Enhanced (CBT-E) through Queensland Eating Disorder Service (August 2021)

Person dressed in a white toga with red and gold accents, standing in a room with brick walls, with arms raised and looking upwards.

Favorite Books

The Wild Edge of Sorrow

Francis Weller

Michael Alan Singer

The Untethered Soul

Prentis Hemphill

What It Takes To Heal

Dean Spade

Love in a F*cked Up World

Healing Justice Lineages

Cara Page and
Erica Woodland

Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Agreements

Lise Olivera

When the Ache Remains (Next on my to-be-read list)

Andrea Gutiérrez-Glik

Healing the Oppressed Body (Next on my to-be-read list)

Ready to Get Started?

Our Client Care Coordinator is ready to connect you with a therapist who is the best fit for you, your unique experience, needs and goals.