ABOUT DR. HANSEN
You deserve support that meets you exactly where you are.
I'm Dr. Johna Hansen, PhD, LCSW. I am a therapist, a life coach, and a parent of a neurodivergent child.
Parenting a neurodivergent child is one of the most demanding, isolating, and often misunderstood experiences a person can have. And every parent or caregiver who walks through my door brings something entirely their own: their childhood, their history, their relationship with their child, their understanding of neurodiversity, and their particular version of this journey. No two experiences are the same.
What I know is that too many parents are trying to navigate this path without adequate support. When I sought therapy during some of the harder seasons of my own parenting, I found therapists who offered solid evidence-based care but who had a limited understanding of neurodiversity, and an even more limited understanding of the wide range of experiences parents of neurodivergent children carry. I spent more time explaining my world than healing in it.
That experience shaped my commitment to this work. But it is one piece of a much larger picture.
A foundation built on more than personal experience
My understanding of neurodiversity comes from multiple sources: my own experience as a parent, ongoing professional training, independent research, and years of clinical work with parents and caregivers across a wide range of situations and backgrounds.
I actively pursue continuing education in this space, attending trainings, deepening my knowledge of conditions like ADHD, autism, and other neurodevelopmental differences, and staying current on the evolving research around neurodiversity and trauma. Because every child is different. And every parent deserves a therapist who understands that.
My niche wasn't something I planned. It emerged. I trained across multiple clinical areas, and as I opened my practice to parents and caregivers of children with special needs, this community kept finding me. The need was clear, the fit was undeniable, and the work became my focus.
What it's like to work with me
My sessions are collaborative and grounded. I ask questions to guide you toward your own clarity, and I reflect back what I'm hearing so you know you've truly been understood. I'll check in along the way: Am I getting this right?
I pay attention to the whole of you, not just your thoughts, but your feelings, your behaviors, and what's happening in your body. I use metaphors and analogies to make complex things feel accessible, and I work with you to build real, practical tools you can use between sessions.
Most importantly, my space, whether we meet online or in person, is completely judgment-free. You can bring whatever is on your mind. All of it. Without editing yourself first.
Training and credentials
I hold a PhD in Social Work and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in New York. My approach draws on evidence-based therapies tailored specifically to the experiences of parents and caregivers. I have trained in the following approaches and have found each of them useful for various parents and caregivers of neurodivergent children.
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, for processing trauma
Other Trauma-Focused Approaches: Including Prolonged Exposure and Trauma Narratives
REBT: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, for reshaping unhelpful beliefs
CBT-I: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, for reclaiming sleep