Erik Johnson

I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works with adults, couples, and teens experiencing relationship distress, anxiety, shame, betrayal, life transitions, and difficulty understanding or expressing what they need. I especially enjoy working with men and couples who feel stuck in painful relational patterns or disconnected from themselves or each other.

I earned my MSW from Arizona State University and have advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, psychodrama, and IFS-informed work. My style is warm, engaged, and direct. I want to understand your experience with you, help you put words to what is happening internally, and help you move toward greater clarity, connection, and confidence in yourself.

My approach to therapy is relational, experiential, and collaborative. I often help clients slow down and understand what is happening underneath anxiety, conflict, shame, disconnection, or emotional reactions that may otherwise feel confusing or overwhelming.

A major part of my work is helping people find language for their internal experience. As we identify emotions, needs, attachment patterns, and protective responses, clients can begin to understand themselves more clearly and respond with greater intention rather than simply reacting.

I’m active and engaged in the therapy process. I draw from Emotionally Focused Therapy, psychodrama, IFS-informed work, attachment-based approaches, and other evidence-informed methods, while tailoring the work to the person in front of me. My goal is not only insight, but helping clients experience greater clarity, connection, and alignment in their relationships and within themselves.

The first session is about getting to know you, understanding what brings you to therapy, and learning what you’re hoping for or needing from the process. You can expect curiosity from me as I work to understand your situation, your relationships, and how you’ve been experiencing what’s happening.

You don’t need to come in with everything figured out or know exactly what to say. Part of my role is helping us begin to make sense of it together. My hope is that you leave the first session with a clearer sense of what you’re experiencing and what moving forward in therapy could look like.