Teva Johnstone—Licensed Therapist

Client Focus

The current focus of my work is anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder in adult, perinatal, and teen populations. A large part of my work is helping clients recover from compulsive avoidance and compulsive overconsumption of digital technology. I’ve worked closely with parents for over a decade and currently provide therapy and consulting to parents.

I am located in Southern California and see clients for online therapy all over the state- from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara to San Francisco.

Advanced Training

I receive regular consultation in OCD treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) from an expert clinician and professor in NYC, Dr. Eli Felt. Additionally, I am in a consultation group with Dr. Jonathan Grayson with The Grayson LA Treatment Center for Anxiety and OCD through the International OCD Foundation.

I have completed Postpartum Support International’s training on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and regularly take courses from the International OCD Foundation and Cognitive Behavioral Institute. My work in compulsive tech consumption utilizes Dr. Anna Lembke’s approach of dopamine fasting combined with ERP and existential principles.

Clinical Experience

I have worked with adults and children for about a decade in a variety of settings, including schools, inpatient and partial hospitalization psychiatry, hospital new parent & child development centers, foster care, and private practice.

My expertise is in Maternal Child Mental Health, with a focus in parental anxiety, depression, and emotional regulation. I have extensive experience providing treatment to children with anxiety, abuse and trauma histories, and highly sensitive temperaments. I consult with parents on a variety of modern concerns, including opting their children out of a phone-based childhood and opting in to less conventional educational settings (eg. homeschool, outdoor school) for optimal psychosocial development.

Although much of my experience has been with women and children, I enjoy supporting men and see many fathers in my practice.

Advancing the Profession

I mentor early career therapists and provide clinical supervision to Associates in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties. In 2021 I held a volunteer Child, Adolescents & Young Adults committee position with the National Association of Social Workers and was selected as a Delegate for the NASW-CA Chapter.

I have been licensed to practice psychotherapy independently since 2021 and opened my practice the same year. I have worked in the mental health field—including graduate school internships—since 2011.

Professional Memberships

• International OCD Foundation

• Postpartum Support International

• Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

Outside of Work

I love spending time with horses and with my family at the beach.