Liz Johnson, MSc Psych

Liz Johnson, MSc Psych is a certified trauma coach who helps Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine clients navigate stress and negative emotions to aid in the overall health journey. She specializes in developmental trauma and helps patients unpack childhood experiences to better recognize and adjust current behavioural patterns that may be interrupting the path to healing.

Before joining Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine, Liz earned more than 2,000 hours creating and administering neurofeedback protocols at the Brain Treatment Centre of Alberta. She incorporates neurofeedback and biofeedback techniques within her current practice to complement the functional medicine and naturopathic treatments also offered at Neurvana.

When I first came to Neurvana they started me off with two Neuro-Feedback sessions a week. I started seeing improvements almost immediately, but then it started to plateau. Then they had me do one Neuro-Feedback a week and one session with Liz Deacon who does the Solus training and therapy. Since I started seeing Liz, I’ve made huge improvements and changes. If you’re looking for a Naturopathic clinic, this is the place to go! And if you get a chance to meet with Liz you’ll love her. She makes you feel very comfortable and at home and is very knowledgeable in her field.

– Jaimee Morgan

Why Trauma Coaching?

Liz Johnson, MSc Psych is the co-founder of Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine and was the third practitioner to join the team. Over the years, Liz has played an instrumental role in establishing key systems and procedures for the clinic and has helped shape a holistic path to healing for our clients. Though she’s worn multiple hats while at the clinic, her primary role is certified trauma coach.

Once she received her Master’s Degree in Health Psychology from Walden University, Liz forged a path in what she wanted to do most — help people. Liz was passionate to become a safe space for individuals to share their emotions and learn to better understand their own behaviors. Today, she arms clients with the tools and strategies necessary to healthily regulate stress and emotions.

“My favorite thing about working with clients is getting to see them on a regular basis, hearing about how they’re implementing the tools and the strategies and how it’s impacting their life, as well as the lives of the people they love.” — Liz Johnson, MSc Psych

Trauma-Focused Therapy Grounded in Personal Experience

While working toward her undergraduate degree, Liz balanced a full-time job with full-time classes — which ultimately led to full-time anxiety. She began to live in a constant state of flight or fight, and after months of feeling chronically overwhelmed, Liz knew something had to give. So, she started where most Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine clients do, which is the conventional system.

Liz was told by her doctor to consider taking anti-anxiety medication; however, she wasn’t ready to approach her health problem with drugs. So, unhappy with her options, Liz did her own research to determine what would be a good fit. She started seeing a counselor to understand what was at the root of her anxiety and was soon introduced to trauma-focused therapy.

Liz’s discovery of trauma-focused therapy changed her life. She uncovered that the root of her challenges stemmed from early-life experiences, and learned how much these experiences could impact the woman she became. Shortly after, Liz completed a course in family systems, constellation therapies, and intergenerational and transgenerational trauma, which resonated with her own experiences. Today, Liz uses her personal experiences and training to benefit clients.

… I start seeing Liz Deacon for biofeedback sessions that help deal with the psychological issues around trauma and stress. I have struggled with my mental health for 20 years. I have been on one form of medication or another all that time and I have seen a very extensive array of counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists. I even have a degree is psychology myself. The advances I have made with Liz in our short time working together is more than all the other people I saw combined. Liz listens to not only what you say but how you say it and specifically the words you use to drill down to underlying thoughts or experiences that you may not realize have been affecting your life. Counseling of any kind usually means the patient does the talking and while that is true with Liz she also identifies areas that could use more exploration and guides you toward those areas. The end result is realizations you would never have thought of. Not only do these realizations help explain why I have done certain things or felt certain things in the past but just simply identifying the why has helped me to change how I interpret stresses in my every day life. I cannot express the positive effect that Liz has had on my life. If you are struggling with something in your life and have had disappointment after disappointment with the specialists you have seen please give Liz a try.

– Jessica Vokey

Trauma Conditions Liz Johnson Treats

Liz Johnson specializes in developmental trauma, with a particular emphasis on unpacking early childhood experiences to identify where clients began to apply trauma to behavioral patterns and how those experiences manifest today. She speaks with clients suffering from an array of conditions, including:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Concussions and post-concussion syndrome

However, not every client enters Liz’s office with inherent buried trauma — but her services are essential regardless. No matter the chronic condition diagnosis, understanding how the nervous system and the limbic system specifically interact with the body and the ability to heal means that counseling is an important piece of treatment.

“What I do is important as an integral piece in your health journey. Understanding your nervous system and its implications for chronic conditions diagnoses, as well as treatment applications, can better equip you and your nervous system to be able to heal.”

Integrated Approach Focused on Total Health

After receiving her Master’s Degree from Walden University, Liz completed a 30-day immersion program located in the Bahamas and earned her 200-hour registered yoga teacher certificate. More recently, Liz completed a certificate as a trauma-focused certificate through the HeartMath Institute. She leverages all of this training to provide an integrated care approach for clients.

“We need to cultivate those deep connections, and it’s not as scary as we think. It’s no different really than having those heart-to-hearts with our buddies, with our close friends, or with a family member, but we’re doing it in a space that’s safe and that offers the opportunity for clarity and insights.”

Her intake process centers on learning how trauma may be interacting with clients’ current health problems, even if a client is not visiting the clinic for cognitive or emotional symptoms. Rather, Liz strives to help clients who may not even be aware of buried trauma, so together they can resolve deep-rooted issues and relearn positive behavioural patterns.

Getting Personal with Liz Johnson, MSc Psych

Liz Johnson was raised in Sylvan Lake, a small community located in central Alberta. She cites one of the most inspirational people in her life as her mother, who pursued a natural and alternative health approach since Liz’s childhood. Liz has followed in her mother’s healthy footsteps; however, she warns she still cannot live without her guilty pleasure, french fries.

When she’s not in the office at Neurvana Naturopathic Medicine, you can find Liz exploring the world — and the kitchen! As someone who will try anything at least once, Liz is constantly embarking on new adventures and trying new recipes. You can catch Liz hanging with friends and family and two kittens, Seth and Evan.