Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Johnson.
Hi Sarah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in Atlanta and I come from a blended family. I am one of eight siblings and I had two older sisters who were adopted from El Salvador. I also had an older brother and older sister who were adopted. My older sister Jillian passed away at age 18 from Cystic Fibrosis. I can certainly say my life was not conventional growing up but I had a mom, a dad, and a stepdad who loved and supported me.
These early experiences were filled with hardships but simultaneously love and a fierce sense of loyalty and protection. This really shaped how I viewed people and their experiences and drove me to want to go into a helping profession. I wanted to help people find joy and purpose despite life’s unpredictability and difficulties. I met my best friend in undergraduate school, and she had very similar passions as I did. There we birthed the vision for our mental health counseling business.
The dream took 15 years from realization to our grand opening. In those years, we worked on ourselves, pursued higher education, experience, and developed the tools, confidence, and network we needed to open our practice. This year we celebrate three years of helping the Atlanta area receive much-needed mental health services.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not. I am laughing thinking about this question because I often reflect on how windy the path has been to get here. I strongly believe before you can help others you must work on yourself, and many years were spent doing just that. A big part of the journey for me has been learning to let go of whatever picture I had in my head of what it was “supposed” to be like. Life lesson: the journey is never going to look like what you thought. It felt like a constant rebirth of the dream as we changed, our circumstances changed, and our expectations changed.
I remember so vividly the night I knew it was time to open the business. My son was about one month old and it was around 1am. I was up feeding him and I remember thinking “This is the time.” Mind you my youngest son was born a couple of weeks before we went into lockdown for the pandemic. I called Yeira, my best friend and business partner, the next day and told her I was ready. She agreed and we started the process. There were a lot of early mornings, late nights, and weekend work. We sacrificed a lot in the beginning financially, emotionally, and with our time to pursue this dream. All while juggling a toddler and newborn while we were stuck at home all the time. It brings a smile to my face thinking about that time because it is a stark reminder of what resilience humans are capable of when passion burns inside of them.
As you know, we’re big fans of Canopy & Light Counseling. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Canopy & Light Counseling is an outpatient mental health private practice serving all of Georgia through telehealth services. However, we are local to the metro Atlanta area. We offer individual counseling for adults ages 18 and over. We both specialize in treating any symptoms and disorders related to trauma and substance abuse which covers a wide range of issues. I personally love working with moms, first responders, healthcare workers, the military, and mental health workers. I truly believe that those who spend their life serving others need a place to bring their burdens.
Our business is unique because we both come from distinct backgrounds, so we offer a multicultural approach, we are trauma-informed, and firmly believe in authenticity. We want to help you build a life worth loving-a life of abundance.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Growth happens when we stretch ourselves by stepping outside of what we know. This only happens when you take a risk. I personally have experienced discontentment in my life when I stop taking risks. Not because I need risk for a sense of adventure or thrill but because it helps to propel me towards my goals and dreams.
Pricing:
- Initial Assessment $150
- Subsequent sessions $135
- Reduced Rate $85
Contact Info:
- Website: www.canopyandlightcounseling.org
- Instagram:canopylightcounseling
- Facebook: Canopy & Light Counseling
Image Credits
Mandie Mills Photography
