Today we’d like to introduce you to Miki Johnston.
Miki, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago—a Midwestern girl at heart—but I’ve called Dallas home since 1993. I grew up in a loving family that, like most, was far from perfect. The dynamics within my family shaped my curiosity and deepened my understanding of something universal: that no family is perfect, people are inherently flawed, and we have a choice in how we use those realities and experiences to either stay stuck or to grow.
As a teenager, I was rebellious and often acted out—you could say I was a bit of a wild child. The way I was expressing my autonomy and independence concerned my parents, which resulted in them taking me to therapy, an experience that changed the trajectory of my life. For the first time, I had a space to understand myself within the context of my family and a place where my voice mattered. That experience not only grounded me, it ultimately revealed my passion and purpose.
That early experience led me to pursue this work professionally. I hold a Master’s in Clinical Social Work from Loyola University and have spent over 30 years working with adolescents, young adults, and adults. My work centers on relationships, helping people navigate anxiety, relational and generational trauma, divorce, and grief through the lens of family systems and relational patterns.
After several years at home raising my daughters, I began to feel a pull back toward my work—this time with a clearer sense of purpose shaped by those experiences. I started speaking publicly on parenting, adolescent development, sexual health, and mental health, and later opened my private practice in 2016.
Along the way, I developed a sexual health curriculum that I now teach in several private middle schools in the Dallas area. All the lessons.focus on healthy relationships and the physical, social, and emotional aspects of adolescent development. I also speak frequently to parent groups and at staff development events, helping adults deepen their understanding of and connection with the kids they love and support.
At its core, my work is about creating a space where people feel seen and understood. It’s a privilege to sit with someone’s story and help them make sense of it so they can move toward greater self-awareness, meaningful change, and a deeper sense of acceptance.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the earliest challenges in my career came when I moved to Dallas and began building both a personal and professional life far from my Chicago family. Adjusting to a new environment and culture, while being 800 miles away from my support system, required me to find my footing in ways I hadn’t been called to do in the past.
Around that same time, I was working as a play therapist, supporting mothers and their young children in strengthening their bond. I was deeply drawn to that work, but I was also navigating my own private struggle to get pregnant. Sitting professionally with mother-child relationships while experiencing my own feelings of loss became emotionally overwhelming, and led me to the difficult decision to step away from this work to focus on my own well-being.
More than two decades later, going through a divorce became another defining challenge. It deepened my understanding of how layered and complex relationships can be, and reinforced for me the importance of emotional honesty, self-awareness, and resilience. That experience continues to shape the way I sit with clients who are navigating relational pain and transition.
With the support of my family, friends, mentors and colleagues I learned the value of not hiding in shame and the importance of speaking honestly about what we’re going through. These lessons have stayed with me and continue to inform how I show up in my work.
What I’ve come to understand is that both personal and professional challenges have deepened my capacity for empathy. They’ve given me a respect for how complex and often messy growth can be and that allows me to sit with clients in a way that feels honest, grounded, and without judgment.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My work is primarily rooted in understanding relational patterns. I focus less on giving advice and more on helping people figure out why they’re stuck and make sense of their experiences in a deeper way. That process often leads to more clarity, stronger connections, and a greater sense of self. I draw from a family systems and trauma Informed lens, but what matters most is creating a space where people can be honest and makes sense of
their experiences without fear of judgment. From there, we work to understand what’s driving their emotions, reactions, choices, and their connections with others. That awareness becomes the foundation for meaningful, lasting change.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I value genuine connection and the richness of the human experience. There is nothing more important to me than.time with close friends and family, meaningful conversation, and moments that feel authentic. I love to travel and have only just begun to see what I hope to explore over time. I’m drawn to the mountains, live music, good food, a great TV series, a hilarious Instagram reel and something as simple as a wood burning fire at home.
I deeply appreciate people who are comfortable being themselves and are unabashedly authentic. I really value the ability to listen with an open heart and mind, to people whose beliefs may be different from my own, and to stay curious rather than reactive in those moments. There’s something meaningful about creating space where someone feels heard and respected, even in the presence of difference. I find that judgment can quietly shut down connection, often before there’s a chance to really understand someone’s experience.
As for dislikes, I find it challenging when communication feels inauthentic or guarded, though I’ve come to understand that those patterns often serve a purpose. Both in my work and in my life, I value openness, self-awareness, and a willingness to tolerate imperfection—in myself and in others.
Last but not least having grown up with four distinct seasons, I still haven’t quite made peace with the Dallas heat.
Pricing:
- Pricing available on my website
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mikijohnstontherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikijohnstontherapy?igsh=MTZvNXlwZDV1bDQyYw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JCqGXJ9Zb/?mibextid=wwXIfr
