Mara Johnson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and adjunct instructor in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. She earned her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling in 2007 and brings nearly two decades of clinical, supervisory, and educational experience to her work.
Over the course of her career, Mara has worked across a variety of clinical settings and with diverse populations. Following graduate school, she provided clinical services in a residential treatment setting for adolescents. She later provided intensive counseling to adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system in New York City. Mara subsequently served as a clinical supervisor for five years at a large foster care agency, where she supported clinicians working with children, adolescents, and families navigating complex emotional, developmental, and behavioral challenges.
Since 2018, Mara has served as the founder and owner of her own private mental health counseling practice, where she provides psychotherapy to individuals experiencing anxiety, trauma, and other life challenges. She is a Certified EMDR Provider through EMDRIA and specializes in working with individuals who have experienced both complex developmental trauma and single-incident trauma. Her clinical work integrates EMDR with evidence-based approaches including CBT, DBT, and IFS, with a focus on supporting clients in developing greater emotional awareness, resilience, self-understanding, and a stronger sense of safety.
Mara is passionate about the value of self-care and the importance of finding balance in both personal and professional life. She brings this commitment into the classroom, encouraging students to consider self-care not simply as an occasional activity, but as an essential part of sustaining themselves throughout their education, clinical training, and professional careers. She believes that developing meaningful self-care practices is an important component of becoming an effective and compassionate mental health professional.
Outside of her clinical and teaching work, Mara enjoys practicing yoga, playing tennis, and reading.