Renée Johnson LCMHC

Play Therapist, Child Therapist, Parenting Specialist
Certified Adoption-Competent Therapist

Contact Renée Today!

Rjohnson@DavidsonFamilyTherapy.com
336-209-2884

I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with the families of the Lake Norman area. It is my mission to provide a safe, warm, and welcoming space for clients to explore, conquer, and overcome their everyday challenges in a therapeutic setting. I am inspired by my clients' natural abilities to grow and develop, and thus aim to provide an atmosphere that nourishes and draws out inner strengths that can assist my clients in overcoming their challenges. I work with a strength-based, person-centered approach, meaning I work to encourage my clients to seek, find, and utilize their inner strengths in a non-directive and empowering way.

In addition to my clinical mental health licensure, I am specialized in working with children through Play Therapy and am specifically trained to meet the emotional and developmental needs of children ages 2-10 through therapeutic means. I integrate encouragement, emotion-awareness, and self-esteem development into every session and provide an atmosphere that fosters independence, growth, and healing for children of all ages. Along with Child-Centered Play Therapy, I employ creative methods, such as art, music, and other creative mediums in order to allow my clients to express themselves and process emotional development through methods other than traditional talk-therapy.

I believe the wellness of a child is dependent upon a strong and secure attachment with their primary caregivers. I aim to integrate parents and caregivers into every session to help assist in communication and connection within the attachment relationship. Additionally, I work with caregivers and parents separately to establish skills, developmental understanding, and forms of communication that strengthen the parent-child bond amidst challenges and stressors. It is my goal to integrate the parent or caregiver in a way that establishes the primary caregiver as the source of strength, processing, and understanding for the child, which will ultimately may replace the need for a therapist in your child’s life.

I am formally trained in the following parent-child relationship therapy approaches:

  • Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) https://cpt.unt.edu/what-child-parent-relationship-therapy

  • Circle of Security Parenting (COSP) https://www.circleofsecurityinternational.com/resources-for-parents/

  • Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) -Registered Practitioner https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/