Erika Johnson , LCSW

Erika Johnson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) based in Indiana with 24 years of experience. She focuses on helping people manage stress, anxiety, and addictions, and supports those working on relationship concerns, self-esteem, and depression. Erika approaches each person as the expert on their own life and honors individual strengths during the work together.

Erika uses straightforward conversation to help people identify what matters to them. She listens first, then helps build practical steps for change. Sessions can include goal-setting, skill practice, and checking what actually helps between meetings.

Her work often addresses deeper patterns like abandonment fears, body image worries, or feelings of guilt and shame. Erika also supports people coping with caregiver stress, midlife changes, isolation, and life-purpose questions. She pays attention to how mood and personality issues affect daily choices and relationships.

Erika draws on several common approaches to guide sessions, including client-centered methods, cognitive behavioral tools, dialectical behavior strategies, mindfulness, and motivational interviewing. These give concrete ways to manage thoughts, emotions, and urges while building steadier habits.

People who connect with her tend to want clear steps and a respectful, nonjudgmental space to try new ways of coping. She works with individuals on practical solutions and long-term change, tailoring her style to each person’s needs and pace.

How therapeutic approaches translate to online sessions

Client-centered therapy focuses on listening and understanding each person's goals. Online sessions use that same listening-first attitude to help people clarify what matters and choose practical next steps.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, looks at the links between thoughts, feelings, and behavior. In remote sessions this can mean identifying unhelpful thinking patterns, practicing new responses, and setting concrete homework to test changes between meetings. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT, emphasizes emotion regulation and coping skills for intense feelings. Online work can introduce breathing and grounding exercises, distress tolerance tools, and step-by-step skill practice that can be used in daily life.

Finding the right approach is part of the process. The therapist will collaborate with each person to decide which tools fit their needs, goals, and preferences, and will adjust strategies if something isn't helpful. This is a team effort focused on what actually changes day-to-day life.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to match different schedules and comfort levels. Video helps with face-to-face conversation and visual cues, phone calls are useful when bandwidth is limited, and chat or messaging can work for brief check-ins or ongoing support. These options make it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and keep momentum between sessions.