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ELISHIA DURRETT JOHNSON is a Licensed Clinical Counselor with 5 years of clinical experience working with adults and adolescents, developing psychoeducational programs/curricula, authoring mental health wellness journals, and spearheading a mental health tech startup. Specializing in anxiety, depression, grief, OCD, racialized stress, trauma, life transitions, and other related disorders- both individual and business/organizational services are tailored to fit mental health and wellness needs. Durrett Johnson developed the Community Self-Care Program (CSP), an empirically supported cultural change service with an overall community impact of 1500+ piloted from 2022- 2023 (including wellness events and groups). CSP has connected 30+ people with referrals to licensed mental health therapists who fit their insurance and mental health needs. Durrett Johnso currently co-chairs the Behavioral Health Committee of the Louisville Health Advisory Board and leads the Mental Health Advisory Board under A Path Forward, Louisville Urban League. Both board positions focus on impacting and supporting the mental health landscape in Louisville, KY.
Ph.D., Pan African Studies, concentration in Psychology
MEd, Counseling and Personnel Services, concentration in Clinical Mental Health
BA, Psychology, concentration in Social Sciences
Begin to Talk LLC was founded in 2019 by Elishia Durret Johnson, who serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Clinical Director of Begin to Talk LLC. Begin to Talk LLC is a mental health company providing various healing forms. Our mission is to provide a holistic healing approach that improves gaps in healthcare, decreases mental health stigma, and engages businesses, marginalized communities, and people with quality healthcare resources.
Clinical Mental Health Counselor: population- low socioeconomic status; trained in OCD and hoarding using Exposure and Ritual Prevention (Ex/RP), anxiety, and related mood disorders. Specialized training: intensive outpatient therapy (IOP) of OCD and associated mood disorders. MEd Counseling and Personnel Services with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.
(Supervisor: Monnica T. Williams, Ph.D.)
Adjunct Counselor within the school and counseling setting: population- foster children and foster families; supported foster children and foster care families to ensure positive/successful placement and provided educational support within the elementary school setting. Educational Program- MEd Counseling and Personnel Services with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY.
(Supervisor: Kate Miller, LSW)
The Center for Mental Health Disparities was a BIPOC research lab focused on psychological research of Black and other marginalized populations.
(Supervisor: L. Kevin Chapman, Ph.D.)
Chapman, L., Petrie, J., Vines, L., & Durrett, E. (2012). The co-occurrence of anxiety
disorders in African American parents and their children. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 26(1), 65-70. doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.08.014
Williams, M. T., Chapman, L. K., Buckner, E. V., & Durrett, E. L. (2016). Cognitive-behavioral therapies. In A. Breland-Noble, C. S. Al-Mateen, N. N. Singh, A. Breland-Noble, C. S. Al-Mateen, N. N. Singh (Eds.), Handbook of mental health in African American youth (pp. 63-77). Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing.
Durrett Johnson, E. Cultural competency versus cultural tolerance: A counselor’s fundamental responsibility.
Durrett Johnson, E., Johnson, J. Mediocracy that Leads to Mortality: Discussing Health Disparities & Racial Trauma within the Black community
Durrett, E., Simms, J. V., Davis, D. M., Chapman, L. K., & Williams, M. (2014,
November). Methodology for Recruitment of African American Families for Anxiety Disorders Research: The CAFÉ Project. Poster presented at the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Philadelphia, PA.
Buckner, E., Elstein, J., Durrett, E., & Williams, M. (2011, November). Symptom
Dimensions in African Americans with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Poster presented for the 45th Annual Convention of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Toronto, ON.
Durrett, E.L., Buckner, E.V., Petrie, J., Vines, L., Chapman, L.K. (2011, March). The effects of
child psychopathology on parenting stress in a community-based sample of African Americans. Poster presented at Anxiety Disorder Association of America, New Orleans, LA.
Gurren, M., Petrie, J., Vines, L., Durrett, E., Chapman, L.K. (2011, March). The relationship
between emotional regulation and social anxiety in African American children and adolescents: An examination of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Poster presented at Anxiety Disorder Association of America, New Orleans, LA.
Buckner, E. V., Durrett, E. L., Seiler, Z., Chapman, L.K. (2010, March). Psychosocial factors
predicting aggression attitudes, vulnerability, and resiliency in a community-based sample of African Americans. Poster presented at Kentucky Psychological Association Spring Convention, Louisville, KY.
Chapman, L.K., Vines, L., Petrie, J., Goodwin, S., Buckner, E., Kakar, S., Gurren, M., Burke, J.,
Durrett, E., Bailey-Ndaiye, S. University of Louisville Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice. (2010, March). The CAFE Project: Anxiety disorders in a community-based sample of African American families. Poster presented at 30th Annual Anxiety Disorders Association of American Conference, Baltimore, MD.
Louisville program deflecting some 911 calls to non-police response expanding. WDRB.com
Louisville Urban League to host 2nd annual Healing Block Party; what to know. WHAS.com
‘Real healing requires a conversation.’: Initiative pushes for better mental health access in the Black community. WHAS.com
What to know about Louisville’s new 911 deflection program. WHAS.com
911 deflection: Louisville to send counselors on 911 calls. WHS11.com
Recent data shows more people are seeking help for depression, anxiety during pandemic. WDRB.com
'You don't heal. You just deal': How Black therapists cope with racial trauma while helping a community. USA Today Online, Courier Journal.
How to Securely Document Racism You Experience at Work. Huffington Post Online.
Elishia hosted Begin to Talk Radio on an independent radio station that discussed mental health, culture, & other related topics to normalize mental health and cultural conversations.
Worked extensively with Nick News and Lucky Duck Productions to find an African American child with an anxiety disorder to be profiled on the show. The show was a means to raise awareness about mental health disorders in minority children. The episode Worried Sick: Living With Anxiety aired on September 24, 2013. Lucky Duck Productions listed Elishia Durrett in the Special Thanks section of the credits for her recruitment efforts.
http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/nick-news-141-full-episode.html