Shannon Johnson

“Come unto me all who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-29)”. Counseling is a very personal experience; we all have a story to tell. Life tends to unexpectedly and abruptly alter without our permission. You find you are forever changed. You may be wondering if there is any hope. “…By learning how to discover what lies behind (resolving/making peace with your past), you can reach forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13)”. Yes, there is hope even if it seems out of reach right now. I am here to provide a safe place in order to listen to you as you tell your story, then join you as you begin a journey of healing and reclaiming your life.

Before joining HCCC in 1999, I worked in a variety of mental health settings. I have 13 years with Rapha Treatment Centers as a Christian Counselor treating patients and their families during hospitalization for psychiatric disorders and chemical dependency issues. I dealt with a variety of issues including drug and alcohol addiction, depression, anxiety, family of origin issues, and marital issues. I did individual therapy, group (process & didactic) therapy, Family Counseling, and family sculpting groups.

Over my many years as a licensed therapist, I have particularly enjoyed working with family of origin issues, codependency, adult children of alcoholics and adult children of dysfunctional families. It is so rewarding when the client begins to understand that they were NOT the problem after all! To help my clients replace incorrect beliefs with true beliefs and to see them becoming the people God created them to be makes my job the best job ever!

Another group of individuals I feel privileged to work with are my clients who have a diagnosis of cancer and are undergoing treatment or have completed treatment. Part of therapy involves encouraging them to continue living life in spite of significant changes. These clients often deal with grief & loss, sometimes anger at God, and frequently trauma. Their trauma can be due to their diagnosis, sometimes their prognosis and often times due to medical procedures that were necessary to save their life. It’s amazing to see how “visible” God makes Himself in these clients’ care!

I have advanced training in counseling the spouses, partners, or ex-spouses of a sex addicts. In February of 2016, I became a Certified Clinical Partner Specialist through APSATS (The Association of Partners of Sex Addicts Trauma Specialists). Sexual betrayal has a traumatic impact on the partners and the family system. For the partners, the discovery of the sexual betrayal can result in symptoms of post-traumatic stress response. Further trauma occurs as the partner tries to sort out what part of their life with this person was truth and what parts were lies. Additionally, the partner has to redefine her relationship with this person “as of today,” which often times results in new traumas. I am trained in the Multidimensional Partner Trauma Model (MPT-M) which acknowledges the partner as a victim of trauma rather than a “co-addict”. The MPT-Model is the basis for the partners’ healing as well as my therapy. Furthermore, therapy will involve education on the complexity of sex addiction, assisting the client in identifying her trauma, helping her to work through her grief and loss, and supporting her in the many decisions she will be needing to make as she works toward regaining her life and knowing that she will be okay even if the spouse does not choose recovery. I work with the partners individually and/or in a group format. I am available to work with their spouses’ counselor in joint sessions as needed. It is such a privilege to work with these women who are so deeply wounded when they arrive and to see them grow into incredible women as God intended them to be!

I was trained in April 2002 in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), a specific therapy for trauma resolution. Traumas are best described as “frozen moments in time” where remembering the event feels the same as the initial experience. Such memories have a negative effect on how one views and interacts with the world. EMDR is a very effective tool that I use to treat trauma.

I have a Masters in Psychology for the University of Houston Clear Lake. I am licensed in the State of Texas as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (09/1993) and a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (06/1995). After being widowed in 1992, I was blessed in the year 2000 to marry my husband, Ron, and I became a step-mother to two girls who have grown into lovely young women.