Margaret Johnston, LMHC

Margaret Johnston is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with 11 years of experience. She listens carefully and helps people who are feeling overwhelmed by stress, anxiety, grief, depression, or painful events from the past.

She uses clear, practical conversation to help clients name what is happening and choose next steps. Sessions often include work on managing strong emotions, improving self-esteem, and coping with life changes. Margaret also supports people dealing with relationship and intimacy-related concerns, eating and body image issues, bipolar disorder, and ADHD concerns.

Margaret trained at the University of North Florida and completed a Master of Clinical Psychotherapy in 2013. She also spent nine months in a Clinical Pastoral Education internship focused on deep listening and worked in a program supporting wounded service members.

Her approach combines cognitive behavioral methods with acceptance and commitment and attachment-informed ideas. She practices client-centered care, using what the person brings as the starting point for change and growth. Margaret pays attention to the impact of race and culture when that is important to the person she is working with.

She describes her stance as inclusive, affirming, and nonjudgmental. People from LGBTQA and alternative-sex-culture communities are explicitly welcome. Margaret aims to help each person name meaning, set goals, and move forward without being constantly tripped up by the past.

Practical approaches and flexible online care

Margaret often draws on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which focuses on identifying unhelpful thought patterns and testing new behaviors to reduce anxiety and depression. CBT is useful for people who want structured tools to manage symptoms and make changes in daily life.

She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, a method that helps people notice painful thoughts without getting stuck and choose actions that match their values. ACT can help when avoidance or fear gets in the way of meaningful goals. Attachment-Based ideas guide work on relationship patterns and emotional responsiveness, helping people understand how early bonds influence current reactions.

Finding the right fit is treated as a team effort. Margaret will discuss different approaches and tailor sessions to a person’s goals, comfort level, and communication style so the plan feels useful and realistic.

Online work is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to match different needs. Video calls allow face-to-face conversation, phone sessions use less bandwidth, live chat supports shorter check-ins, and messaging is helpful for ongoing, flexible contact. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to try different formats as needs change.