John Garrison
John Garrison
Registered Associate Marriage & Family Therapist #150075
Supervised by Kent Toussaint, MA, LMFT #44685
Hey, my name is John Garrison! I’m an Associate Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapist and I graduated from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Los Angeles in 2024. I initially was interested in working with kids and teens alike because of my own awkward experiences as a youth.
My approach with this population is to help build and grow a relationship that becomes the driving vehicle of change in the lives of my clients. The better the vehicle, the easier it will be to make the kinds of changes that they strive and aspire to.
I’ve learned that no one has the kind of school or life experience that is portrayed in media and that everyone has weird or awkward experiences during adolescence, and that’s okay! I want to help give kids and teens alike the tools that they can carry with them outside of the therapy office into school, their homes, and the rest of their lives.
When I’m not wearing my therapist hat, I really enjoy spending time outside on a hike or at the beach, hanging out with friends, hunting for new music (any recommendations are welcome), or even playing video games. I love laughing so please feel free to tell me your favorite joke or show me your favorite memes as well!
So, when working with teens and children, the thing I enjoy the most is how much potential there
is for growth in our time together. You know, I have always believed that working with teenagers,
there's so much room for resilience and fostering that resilience in children and teenagers
through our practice is something that I enjoy the most.
I would say definitely the biggest challenge is establishing a safe space for a child or a teenager
to realize that we're not necessarily an authority figure, right? Children and teenagers,
they're often used to interacting with parents and coaches and you know, people who are teachers
and people who have a sense of authority over them, and really working through that to realize
that a therapist is here to provide a safe space to maybe talk about the uncomfortable, or you
know, not to get you in trouble, but to rather support you through whatever you're going through.
As part of the LGBTQIA plus community myself, I really enjoy working with the population, especially
with children and teenagers that are continuing to explore their identity and come into a new.
I've really realized that everyone's journey in this is different and being able to support
clients through that journey is really amazing Should I look at the camera or at you?