Shanekka Brown-Johnson

Shanekka Brown-Johnson is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) in California with 14 years of clinical experience. She works with adults on stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, low self-esteem, depression, and coping with life changes. Shanekka also pays attention to concerns such as abandonment, adoption and foster care, caregiver stress, and issues tied to family of origin and communication.

She draws on clear, practical methods in sessions. Conversations focus on identifying what feels most pressing, learning concrete skills, and testing small changes between meetings. Sessions often look at patterns that keep problems repeating and how to shift them in everyday life.

Her background includes work in residential mental health, residential substance abuse treatment, schools, domestic violence and family shelters, and outpatient settings. That history shapes how she approaches complex or overlapping concerns, like mood disorders with substance use or trauma with relationship strain.

Shanekka uses evidence-based approaches such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. She brings those methods together to help people practice new ways of responding to stress and strong emotions.

She also creates workshops and educational resources aimed at improving access to mental health supports. People who are considering change after a major life event or who feel stuck in their current roles may find her practical focus helpful when thinking about next steps.

How her approaches translate to online sessions

Shanekka often draws on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people notice difficult thoughts and feelings without getting driven by them and then pick actions that reflect personal values. She also uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to identify unhelpful thinking patterns and try out small behavior changes that reduce symptoms. Motivational Interviewing is used when someone wants help moving toward a goal and needs conversational tools to strengthen commitment.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. She will collaborate with clients to choose or combine methods based on needs, goals, and preferences rather than applying one fixed model. That means trying techniques, checking what helps, and adjusting the plan together.

Confirm the current session formats before booking since the biography does not list specific formats. Online sessions can make it easier to fit talks into a busy week, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and reduce travel time. When you complete the matching questionnaire you will see the session options available and can schedule times that suit your daily routine.