Today we’d like to introduce you to Amberlee Johns.
Hi Amberlee, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story begins in the Kansas City area (Independence specifically) where I was born and then transitions to many years away before returning in adulthood (9 years ago). Stumbling into a professional life as a relationship and trauma therapist is one that I wouldn’t have anticipated as a child. I grew up in a rural town in Arkansas where the only mental health provider present was the school counselor at the elementary school. The notion of going to therapy would not have been considered an option for many reasons including: limited access to providers, resources, and the entrenched belief that families should solve their problems on their own or with their pastor. Even so, here I am, a Clinically Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and small business owner walking into the process of helping others navigate change, growth, and healing.
One resource that I credit to my family includes access to books, which fostered an early habit of reading. This habit later transformed into a deep enjoyment of consuming the stories of other people and how they overcame hardship. Jo March, Helen Keller, and Anne Shirley were a few of my favorites. It is my belief that this early fascination with stories is part of how I wound up pursuing a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy later on down the road.
The journey to opening Cultivated Story includes many moments of thinking I was going one direction and then finding myself turned around headed in a different direction. For example, when I turned 18, I discovered that I was not going to have a diploma enabling me to enroll in college. I (unfortunately) was one of the children who fell through the cracks when my parents decided to homeschool. This is when consuming the stories of others served as a resource. I thought of the Jo Marches and Lorelai Gilmores out there and rolled up my sleeves. This began the process of obtaining a GED, filling in educational gaps, and then beginning college a few years later. Upon entering a small community college, I began the coursework needed to become a school teacher. After an internship, I quickly noticed that being in a room with 25 kids is quite a sensory overload. Kudos to the teachers out there! Then I shifted to a degree in English at the University of Arkansas, which prompted me to delve further into stories via literature. Then I learned a hard lesson (like many others), you cannot do much with an English degree except teach or maybe go into journalism. After a year of working, I began exploring the coursework required to become a therapist. I was eager to dive into learning about systems, family dynamics, and trauma. I then went to and graduated from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Finally, after many attempts, I found a career that I can see myself doing until retirement. While I know I could’ve skipped right over my educational journey, it was a formative period of time that helped develop who I am as a clinician.
Upon completing my masters degree, my little family relocated to the Kansas City area. KC is where I dove in head first to working with children, adults, and families who were trying to navigate hardship, loss, trauma, and more. I spent several years working at a nonprofit before transitioning into a private practice setting. In the year we will all remember (2020), I opened an office suite of my own that would later evolve into a therapy practice with my spouse who is also a therapist in Overland Park called Johns Family Therapy. A few years into that venture, I found more focus in the work that I am passionate about as one who joins cycle breakers who are ready to change generational patterns and/or process trauma. This led to the birthing of Cultivated Story, my private therapy practice which launched in January of this year.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. There were many struggles, some of which I already went into with the previous question. One component of being a woman who owns a business centered upon caring for others is that the cycle of providing care is ongoing and infinite. Women navigate their careers while also caring for their families all the while they are under-supported. For example, my entry into parenthood was quite traumatic. I suffered from postpartum anxiety. I (like many women) found myself supporting my clients, launching a business, parenting small children, trying to be a supportive spouse, all while attempting to emerge from the haze of trauma. I will say though, this particular challenge did help to focus my work as a clinician even more. After taking part in much personal therapy, I chose to weave this into the narrative of my story. Yes, it was hard, but I wanted to learn how to help others navigate these challenges. Women need more supports. So I began my research and pursued training and later certification in Perinatal Mental Health through Postpartum International. I also sought training and supervision in the practice of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) Therapy, a trauma approach that helped me personally.
We’ve been impressed with Cultivated Story LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Cultivated Story is my private practice where I provide therapy services to individual and couples who are motivated to honor the context of their past and longings for the future. I help my clients explore their personal history, places of struggle, and identify what they would like to address. I work with both individuals and couples collaboratively to determine what types of intervention are needed. This can include processing trauma, relational therapy, identifying resources, developing a toolbox for strategies to better care for ourselves, and identifying factors that contribute to their struggles (e.g. anxiety, abusive relationships, racism, blurred boundaries, depression, neurodivergence, etc…).
One thing to know about me as a therapist is that I like my clients to be comfortable in session. This means, I am ok with them walking in to session comfortably dressed, kicking off their shoes, or sitting cross cross apple sauce on the floor. I keep a variety of refreshments in the office, have fidget/sensory toys available to aid in regulation, and even have art supplies so they can doodle or watercolor in session.
As a clinician, I am a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist (EFT). This approach is centered upon attachment principles and is supported by research that reveals that when we feel connected, we are more secure as individuals and in our relationships. I use this approach with both my individuals and couples as it helps us to learn to be more “accessible, responsive, and engaged” both to our own internal experiences but also the experiences of others (Sue Johnson). We often do this by identifying our patterns of engaging with and/or avoiding emotion. We also consider different ways of engaging with emotion that might improve functioning and/or relationships.
Additionally, I am a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Specialist (PMH-C), which helps me work with both individuals and couples who are struggling with their mental health, trauma, postpartum challenges, changes in their relationships, and parenting. This phase of life often breeds relational injuries and distress due to many ongoing changes in the midst of sleep deprivation. I am also Level 2 Trained in a trauma approach called EMDR, which means I’ve completed training and consultation hours with an EMDR consultant.
A few things that set me apart in my practice are that I offer a variety of scheduling options that are tailored to the needs of my clients. Each client is able to choose if they would prefer a traditional 50 minute session, a longer 80 minute session, or even to schedule an intensive. I’ve deliberately worked to engage in training and develop skills to help parents both individually and/or in the context of their relationship. After all, our relationships can provide a buffer to help us navigate stressful situations that come our way.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
As a therapist, I provide therapy both in person and via telehealth to people in both Kansas and Missouri, as I am licensed in both states. I’m also a LCMFT Board-Approved Supervisor in the state of Kansas, so I provide support to post graduate Marriage and Family Therapists. Working with newly licensed therapist is such a delight! I also offer consultations for those who are needing support in their work with couples and perinatal mental health. Other people who are interested in my work are welcome to follow me on Instagram at both @amberlee.the.mft and @cultivatedstory.
Potential clients can reach out to me via my website, email me at amberlee@cultivatedstory.com, or call my business line (913)207-4781.
Pricing:
- $160 Individual Therapy (50 minutes)
- $180 Couples Therapy (50 minutes)
- $480 Individual Intensive (150 minutes)
- $540 Couples Intensive (150 minutes)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cultivatedstory.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amberlee.the.mft/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Cultivated-Story-61571376278642/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/cultivatedstory/
Image Credits
Photo Credits: Cassandra Joy Photo + Film
Branding: June Mango
