Lisa Johnston

Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) & EMDR Therapist

Lisa Johnston

Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) & EMDR Therapist

BSc, BSc (Hons), BABCP Accredited.

Anxiety Disorders Specialist

Pronouns - She/Her

Lisa has over 20 years clinical experience, and over 13 years experience as a Anxiety Disorders specialist. 7 of those years Lisa had the privilidge to work at the National Anxiety Disorders Service the CBT service for the treatment of people with severe and complex anxiety disorders, at the Bethlem Royal Hospital under the world renowned consultant psychiatrist Professor David Veale.

Lisa is experienced in the provision of both assessment and treatment at a national specialist level for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Emetophobia. 

She specialises in online (and other online video platforms) CBT and EMDR therapy and can therefore cover all geographic locations.

Lisa is an expert in the treatment of the following problems:

• Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

• Emetophobia (specific fear of vomit)

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

• Panic Disorder

• Phobias

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

• Health Anxiety

• Social Anxiety

• Low Self-esteem

• Depression

Lisa is highly experienced in all evidence-based practices for all the listed disorders, including exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD.

She works in a collaborative and client-centred way ensuring therapy is guided by meaningful goals. Lisa is fully accredited with BABCP and her clinical experience started in 2003 working in the NHS and private practice as a qualified Occupational Therapist. Her training and experience practising as an Occupational Therapist means she can include a focus on reclaiming or the establishment of balance in your everyday occupations. 

Models of Treatment Lisa is experienced in;

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

• Eye Movement Desensitisation Regulation (EMDR)

Professional Accreditation/Qualifications

• National Anxiety Disorders Specialist training at ADRU

• Kings College London - BSc (Hons) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

• York St John - BSc Occupational Therapy

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, BABCP accredited

• Member of British Association of Behavioural and Psychotherapies (BABCP)

• Qualified Occupational Therapist

• Occupational Therapist (Since 2003) registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC - TOT37572)

Feedback about online therapy with Lisa.

Creating a Safe and Supportive Space

“Lisa is a wonderful therapist who I would definitely recommend. She made me feel safe and comfortable from the first meeting and was flexible with appointments when needed. Therapy felt a safe space to explain how I was feeling without being judged and knowing I would get valuable advice in response to my struggles. It's also provided me with lots of techniques to cope with not only emetophobia specifically, but anxiety as a whole.” Gemma

"Transformative Therapy for Lasting Change"

“My therapy, helped massively. I am now not only able to do everyday activities but enjoy life as well. I am so incredibly grateful for all the help and advice I have received.

It was incredibly helpful. I genuinely believed that I wouldn’t be able to do anything fun and normal again. But with the amazing therapy I received, my emetaphobia no longer stops me from doing the things I want to achieve. So grateful.” Heidi

"Empowering OCD Treatment"

“I would highly recommend Lisa to anyone with OCD. What makes Lisa stand out from other therapists is her commitment to helping you make long-lasting improvements after the therapy finishes. Right from the start, Lisa makes it clear that the aim of therapy is to empower you to be your own therapist. I found Lisa’s approach to CBT brilliant. The therapy is very structured and focused. Goals and a plan are agreed on together at the start, and each session has an agenda with exposure experiments to complete at home. This structured approach allowed me to see my progress which in turn motivated me further.

Lisa is very professional and she is also very empathetic. I immediately felt at ease and could be honest about my difficulties. I am so pleased that I found Lisa; I only wish I had found her 10 years earlier. I have made much more progress than I expected to, and I will not hesitate to get back in touch with her in the future should I need to.” Annonymous

"Committed to Patient Success"

“Lisa is a true professional committed to patients’ success and will help you help yourself. Under her tutelage, I made significant gains against years of entrenched behaviour within several months.” GH

"Goal-Oriented and Flexible Therapy"

“I had a very positive experience of therapy with Lisa. I always felt there was an overall plan and that we were working towards a goal together which is something that has been missing with previous therapists where I felt almost responsible for directing therapy or that I was just coasting along. I feel I connected with Lisa very well and again, compared to other therapists, I felt she was able to challenge me and appreciate where I was coming from. Each session seemed to achieve a lot although Lisa was very flexible and I quickly became aware that I could raise anything that had come up that week or something that had been affecting me and Lisa was happy to work on that rather than what might have been planned.” Annonymous

"Professional, Compassionate, and Structured"

“Therapy was delivered in a way that felt relaxed but again always had direction. Lisa used visual aids which I found really useful and she would often email me with a summary of a session - I referred back to these emails countless times when I was struggling. I found Lisa to be very professional and knowledgeable but also kind and empathic.“

“I would certainly recommend online therapy to a friend. As someone who has been in therapy before I think that I found it easy to adapt but others may take a little longer. I would certainly recommend it in terms of accessibility and I don't think I cancelled one session with Lisa during our months of therapy whereas in the past I have felt that depression or anxiety have been factors in me not making the journey to a therapist's office. In the comfort of my own home I felt therapy was more accessible. I didn't feel at all intimidated whereas at office-based therapy I have often felt under the microscope.” JD

"Focused and Empowering Treatment"

“Lisa is fantastic! Her methods were the most effective and professional I have experienced. She clearly is focused on results and the patient (as opposed to maximising revenue by slow rolling treatment). Over the course of ten sessions she quickly gauged my comfort levels, applied an appropriate amount of pressure to push me to complete CBT tasks and challenge OCD, and taught me the basics of the theory and practice so I am empowered to be my own therapist.” SM

What is CBT?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based & well researched talking therapy. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for many mental health problems.

It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for many other mental and physical health problems.

CBT focuses upon how your thoughts and behaviours impact upon your emotions and physical symptoms.

CBT is collaborative treatment and typically involves doing homework tasks between appointments.

It aims to teach you to become your own therapist, teaching you tools so you can keep using the strategies and techniques you have learned after you have finished therapy.

What is EMDR?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic approach designed to help people heal from trauma and highly distressing experiences. When a person goes through psychological trauma or significant stress, their brain may struggle to fully process the event. This can leave the person feeling "stuck" with disturbing emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations that resurface as if they were reliving the experience.

EMDR helps to reprocess these stuck memories, allowing the brain to resolve them in a healthier way. This often leads to a significant reduction, or even elimination, of distressing symptoms, improving emotional well-being.

Recognized by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2013 as an effective treatment for trauma and trauma-related disorders, EMDR has been extensively researched and proven to help with a wide range of psychological difficulties. The therapy follows a structured eight-phase protocol that ensures safety and guidance for the client. During sessions, bilateral stimulation—such as guided eye movements or tapping—helps the brain process traumatic memories in a controlled and conscious manner.

Many clients find that EMDR can lead to faster, more lasting results compared to traditional talk therapy alone, making it a highly effective option for addressing trauma and other distressing life events.