Hi, I’m Laura Beth Johnson!

I grew up right here in middle Tennessee, and as a true woman of the south I was blessed with a double name. I started out with a degree in Family & Consumer Sciences: Family Relations. My early jobs were in the healthcare industry all the way from first contact in administration to handling complaints in upper management. I often found myself staying on the phone a little longer with someone sharing concerns about their health, in the waiting room listening patiently while a mother shared her frustrations of having to fight so hard for her child to get the same services as others, and the overall ability to be there for people during some difficult times. It was then I knew that I needed to pursue a career in counseling and completed my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Lipscomb University.

After I completed my Master's degree, I've been working in the addiction and recovery field for almost 10 years. All the way from the residential setting, inpatient and outpatient settings, and that each of my clients along the way I see as an individual and not just a statistic. My favorite definition of recovery is the "process of regaining possession or control of something stolen or lost." Addiction of any sort can rob people of their sanity, families, and even their own life. It is a privilege to walk alongside someone while they are gathering the broken pieces of their life and putting them back together, but not having to do it alone. The process of recovering is not easy, and I'm here to be anyone's personal cheerleader to keep going and not give up. I offer a gentle balance of encouragement, kindness, and humor to get through that process.

With addiction also comes a lot of complicated grief and loss, trauma, and other underlying mental health concerns. A lot of us find that our solution to these issues can often become the problem. I also know from experience that addiction doesn't just impact the individual, but all the friends and loved ones around them. I also value working with families of addicts and providing insight about addiction, learning healthy communication, and also supporting setting difficult boundaries.

I love my family dearly and enjoy traveling. I love anything outdoors, especially riding in the jeep with my chocolate lab named Moose and seeing him live his best life. I need water to survive physically, mentally, and spiritually. I smile and wave at babies and dogs. Life is too short to take it for granted, I take advantage of celebrating the small wins to the greatest accomplishments.