LPC, CSAT
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), EMDR, Trauma Recovery, Codependency, Sex Addiction (CSAT), Veteran Mental Health
Scottsdale, AZ
Michelle Johnston joins Redefine’s clinical team with advanced trauma training honed over 4.5 years at The Meadows, one of the country’s leading inpatient trauma treatment centers, where she trained directly under renowned trauma expert Pia Mellody. A veteran herself, she brings a grounded, direct clinical style along with firsthand insight into the mental health needs of the veteran community.
Michelle holds a Master of Science in Professional Counseling from Grand Canyon University and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the State of Arizona. She is also a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT).
Michelle specializes in Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), EMDR, and the Safe & Sound Protocol, treating complex trauma, codependency, and sex/process addictions. She integrates Pia Mellody’s PIT model, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Family Systems approaches to help clients move past what’s keeping them feeling stuck, with particular focus on trauma-rooted anxiety and depression.
◆Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Licensed clinical counselor providing trauma-focused psychotherapy for individuals in Arizona
◆Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT)
Nationally recognized certification for treating sex and process addictions
◆Trauma Therapist, The Meadows
4.5 years of clinical experience at a nationally recognized inpatient trauma treatment center, training directly under Pia Mellody
◆Master of Science in Professional Counseling (MS)
Graduate-level training in clinical counseling and mental health from Grand Canyon University
◆Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR): A neurobiologically-informed approach that helps clients process trauma held in the brainstem, often when talk therapy alone hasn’t fully resolved shutdown, freeze, or dissociation
◆EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Trauma-processing therapy for clients whose anxiety, depression, or reactivity is rooted in unresolved past experiences
◆Safe & Sound Protocol: A listening-based therapy that supports nervous system regulation for clients feeling stuck, shut down, or chronically anxious
◆Complex trauma and codependency: Care grounded in Pia Mellody’s PIT model for clients working through developmental trauma, boundaries, and relational patterns
◆Sex and process addiction: Specialized treatment for clients navigating compulsive behaviors, using the Task Model framework
◆Veteran mental health: Trauma-informed care for veteran clients, informed by Michelle’s own military background
◆Individual therapy: A grounded, direct clinical style that helps clients move past what’s keeping them feeling stuck
