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 Johnston is a highly experienced Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and EMDR practitioner with over 23 years of clinical experience in NHS and private practice, and more than 16 years specialising exclusively in Anxiety Disorders.

Lisa brings exceptional national specialist expertise. For seven years, she had the privilege of working at the National Anxiety Disorders Service (NADS) at the Bethlem Royal Hospital, one of the UK’s leading specialist services for severe and complex anxiety disorders. During this time, she worked under the clinical leadership of Professor David Veale, a world-renowned consultant psychiatrist and international authority in OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Emetophobia.

At a national specialist level, Lisa has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and Emetophobia (fear of vomiting), supporting individuals whose difficulties are often long-standing, complex, and significantly life-limiting.

Lisa specialises in delivering online CBT and EMDR therapy, allowing her to provide highly effective, evidence-based treatment to clients across all geographic locations. Her online work mirrors the rigour, structure, and depth of specialist face-to-face services, while offering increased accessibility and flexibility.

Her clinical approach is collaborative, structured, and goal-focused, ensuring therapy is guided by what matters most to each individual. Lisa is known for balancing compassion with gentle challenge, helping clients build confidence, develop effective skills, and make meaningful, lasting change. A core aim of her work is to empower clients to become their own therapist beyond the end of treatment.

Lisa is fully BABCP accredited and began her clinical career in 2003 as a qualified Occupational Therapist, working in both the NHS and private practice. This background allows her to integrate a strong focus on restoring balance, function, and engagement in everyday life, helping clients reclaim valued roles, activities, and routines alongside symptom reduction.

Lisa is highly experienced in all evidence-based treatments for anxiety and related disorders, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, and draws on a range of therapeutic models to tailor treatment to the individual.

Areas of Specialism

• Anxiety

• 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. 

Therapeutic Approaches & Models

• BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

• Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

• Eye Movement Desensitisation Regulation (EMDR)

• Integrative Therapy

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)

Client Testimonials

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.

Recognised 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.