Eryan Johnson, Graduate Intern

Education:

Marriage and Family Counseling, Graduate Student at the University of Florida- In Progress

At a Glance:

I am a QTPOC therapist, and my counseling style is centered on being trauma-informed, accessible, affirming, and empowering. I am drawn to the deeper, vulnerable parts of ourselves that we often protect beneath a carefully curated mask. I understand these deeper parts as the core of our collective experiences. While working together, we will shuffle between learning to appreciate our protectors, freeing our vulnerable parts, and allowing all parts of ourselves to be seen and loved. I hope to guide you toward balance and inner peace through this work, and I am honored to have your trust and confidence as we embark on this healing journey together.

Why did you become a therapist? 

Service work is a deeply held value in my family, so I always knew I would choose to pursue a craft centered on helping others. Over the years, I considered veterinary medicine, school guidance and teaching, criminal justice, and college student affairs administration, all before discovering unmatched fulfillment through relational therapy. The most meaningful service I can offer you is empathy, nonjudgment, and genuineness as I join you in curating a life nourished by self-compassion, self-liberation, and connection.

What can a client expect to experience in session with you? 

You can expect to share a grounded, reflective, and resonant space when you come into a session. Our work will explore the depth, meaning, and significance of your lived experiences through multicultural and relational perspectives. Our therapeutic space is a microcosm of greater society, mirroring your experiences navigating the world. Our sessions will allow you to practice embodying the version of yourself you hope to grow into over time.

If you could be the therapist to one celebrity, who would it be? 

Tracy Chapman, Adele, Harry Styles, or Nayyirah Waheed immediately come to mind–I cannot narrow it down to a specific person, but I would want to work with someone in the performing arts. People with a talent for communicating their thoughts and feelings through expressive art forms like spoken word, music, and dance inspire me. I would be thrilled to bring creativity into our therapeutic work; we can call on those strengths.

How do you spend your free time? 

Outside the office, you can find me literally outside. I enjoy backpacking, biking, gardening, and whitewater rafting, and I feel most energized by outdoor recreation activities. Although I tend to get overheated living in the South, I equally value my time spent cooling down indoors with my partner, our cat, and a good movie or TV show.

What's your favorite quirk about yourself? 

I love outside but don’t love outside. (See above.)

What does social justice mean to you? 

I define social justice as a movement toward safety, empowerment, and connection across communities, especially those historically marginalized, based on the identities and experiences shared within those groups. Social justice results from disrupting oppressive systems, advocating for human rights, and cultivating a culture of respect, acceptance, and compassion among humankind.

How do you believe change happens?

Change is constant and inevitable, while growth is intentional; I aim to promote growth and healing through our work. My experience working in addiction and recovery has taught me that growth requires conscious effort, self-acceptance, and courage. Through self-attunement, we can generate awareness and empowerment toward change. In other cases, when someone in our system changes, such as our partner, sibling, caregiver, or close friend, we are impacted and often unknowingly change alongside them. However, growth begins with our desire for change.