About Paula
Paula Johnson is a licensed mental health counselor with 15 years of experience helping people manage stress, anxiety, and relationship strain. She speaks English and Spanish and aims to make the first steps feel straightforward and manageable for worried parents and adults. Paula focuses on practical ways to cope and build confidence so daily life feels more tolerable.
She uses a mix of methods to match each person's needs, including client-centered work that follows the person's pace and cognitive behavioral ideas that target unhelpful thoughts and habits.
Background and approach
Paula also draws on existential themes to help people find meaning when life feels uncertain. Sessions tend to be conversational and focused on concrete steps the person can try between meetings. Paula often helps people who are dealing with anger, low self-esteem, mood shifts, or big life changes such as a midlife transition or questions about life purpose.
She also supports those facing attachment or communication problems and multicultural concerns. Her work is grounded in hearing each person’s story and adapting practical tools to their situation. In sessions she listens for patterns, offers small experiments to try, and coaches clearer ways to talk with others.
The aim is steady, attainable progress rather than quick fixes. Paula is based in Massachusetts and brings a calm, direct style to her practice. She holds an MA and practices as an LMHC.
That combination of education and fifteen years of practice shapes a steady, experience-based approach to helping people move forward.
Approaches that guide online sessions
Paula combines client-centered work with cognitive behavioral techniques and elements of the Gottman Method to shape online sessions. Client-centered work means the conversation follows the person's concerns and pace, helping them feel heard and understood while identifying what matters most. Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying unhelpful thoughts and testing small behavior changes to reduce anxiety and improve mood. The Gottman Method offers practical tools for improving communication and resolving recurring relationship conflicts.Finding the right mix of approaches is part of the therapy process. Paula will collaborate with each person to decide which methods fit their goals, concerns, and comfort level. She adjusts plans over time based on what is working and what the person wants to try next.
Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging, which let people fit sessions into busy days. Video is useful for a fuller conversation and visual cues, phone sessions work well when bandwidth is limited, chat or text can be a quick check-in or a way to work through short tasks between meetings. These options make it easier to keep therapy consistent while matching the mode to the moment.
Frequently asked questions
What kinds of concerns does she help with?
What is her general therapy style?
How much experience does she have?
What are her credentials and where is she located?
Which languages are sessions offered in?
What session formats are available?
How are sessions billed and what about cost?
How do I begin working with her?
Specialties and expertise
Top specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Anger management
Also works with
Therapeutic approaches
- Experience
- 15 years
- Licensed
- Massachusetts
- Languages
- English, Spanish