Tiffany Johnson

I really have to say that having my husband's support, my parents, and my older sister's support has been very instrumental to me. They've been instrumental to just believing in me, because I was worried - it's scary going into a job where the customers don't come regardless and you're going to get paid regardless. People come, and you're responsible for keeping them and responsible for stabilizing your income. My family's support and words of encouragement have been huge. My husband, the old him would have been like, no, you need to stick to stable income, but he believed I had the ability to be able to keep a clientele and retain them, and gave me the space to be able to continue to grow through professional development. With two kids, him being able to step in and take care of things so I can be my best self in my therapy sessions with all of my clients has been a huge help for me to grow. I also reached out to experienced clinicians. I have a play therapy supervisor, Ann Meehan, who I'm working with while I achieve my play therapy license. Her trainings have been excellent - she's an experienced play therapist and has been very instrumental in helping me build a strong foundation in play therapy with kids online and building connections with parents. She was the one that inspired me to step out on my own and not contract anymore, that I had the skills I needed where I could build my own strong referral funnel without an agency.

The field is meaningful, but it's also emotionally demanding. I highly recommend understanding that a lot of people think, oh, it's an easy job, you just have to sit and listen to people, and you're good. You can do that, but you're not going to have retention. Your clients are your number one marketer. You need to have a genuine desire to help others grow, heal, and feel understood through the hard days, not just the rewarding ones. Get comfortable with discomfort. You're going to at times hear some really sad stories with grief, trauma, uncertainty. You don't have to always have the perfect answer - being present is often more powerful than being perfect. Good therapists don't just learn skills. I took hours of training on clinical documentation, cognitive behavior therapy, and play therapy. You want to build self-awareness. Some people get into therapy because maybe they need therapy themselves. Reflect on your triggers, understand your patterns. You can only take clients as far as you've gone yourself. Focus on skills, not just theory. Degrees matter, but what truly helps clients is your ability to apply tools like emotional regulation, cognitive restructuring, and communication skills in real life. Mental health is always evolving, so stay curious about new approaches, populations, even yourself as a clinician. In therapy and in a therapist or counselor's journey, growth comes with setbacks. Learn to measure progress in small, meaningful shifts. Choose your population intentionally, whether it's children, teens, adults, families - find where you feel most connected and effective. That's where your impact will be strongest. And self-care isn't optional, it's ethical. That is very important.

My core theme that I use is: Growth requires honesty, boundaries, and the courage to show up as your true self. I believe in doing the work, not just talking about it, and that's at home and at work. I believe in caring deeply for others without abandoning yourself. That's something you're supposed to do as a woman, as a mom, as a wife, and as a therapist to multiple people. Self-awareness changes everything - how you need to just be self-aware about yourself and how far you can go. Growth is intentional, it doesn't happen by accident. In both my personal and professional life, what rings true is real growth happens when you're honest with yourself, set healthy boundaries, and give yourself permission to show up authentically. Don't mask.