Lisa Johnston – Anxiety, OCD & Emetophobia Specialist | Accredited CBT & EMDR Therapist (UK)
Lisa Johnston
Accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) & EMDR Therapist
BSc, BSc (Hons), BABCP Accredited.
Anxiety Disorders Specialist
Pronouns - She/Her
Lisa Johnston is a highly experienced, BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) and EMDR therapist specialising in anxiety disorders, OCD, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and emetophobia.
With over 23 years of clinical experience across the NHS and private practice, including specialist work at the National Anxiety Disorders Service, Lisa provides expert, evidence-based online therapy to people across the UK.
Her approach is structured, collaborative, and focused on helping you make meaningful, lasting change, equipping you with the tools to become your own therapist.
Lisa brings exceptional national specialist expertise. For seven years, she had the privilege of working at the Anxiety Disorders Residential Unit (ADRU), which is a national services unit at the Bethlem Royal Hospital, one of the UK’s leading specialist services for severe and complex anxiety disorders. During this time, she worked under the clinical leadership of Professor David Veale, a world-renowned consultant psychiatrist and international authority in OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Emetophobia.
At a national specialist level, Lisa has extensive experience in the assessment and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), and Emetophobia (fear of vomiting), supporting individuals whose difficulties are often long-standing, complex, and significantly life-limiting.
Lisa specialises in delivering online CBT and EMDR therapy, allowing her to provide highly effective, evidence-based treatment to clients across all geographic locations. Her online work mirrors the rigour, structure, and depth of specialist face-to-face services, while offering increased accessibility and flexibility.
Her clinical approach is collaborative, structured, and goal-focused, ensuring therapy is guided by what matters most to each individual. Lisa is known for balancing compassion with gentle challenge, helping clients build confidence, develop effective skills, and make meaningful, lasting change. A core aim of her work is to empower clients to become their own therapist beyond the end of treatment.
Lisa is fully BABCP accredited and began her clinical career in 2003 as a qualified Occupational Therapist, working in both the NHS and private practice. This background allows her to integrate a strong focus on restoring balance, function, and engagement in everyday life, helping clients reclaim valued roles, activities, and routines alongside symptom reduction.
Lisa is highly experienced in all evidence-based treatments for anxiety and related disorders, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, and draws on a range of therapeutic models to tailor treatment to the individual.
Areas of Specialism
Lisa is highly experienced in all evidence-based practices for all the listed disorders, including exposure response prevention (ERP) for the treatment of OCD.
She works in a collaborative and client-centred way ensuring therapy is guided by meaningful goals. Lisa is fully accredited with BABCP and her clinical experience started in 2003 working in the NHS and private practice as a qualified Occupational Therapist. Her training and experience practising as an Occupational Therapist means she can include a focus on reclaiming or the establishment of balance in your everyday occupations.
Professional Accreditation/Qualifications
National Anxiety Disorders Specialist training at ADRU
Kings College London - BSc (Hons) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
York St John - BSc Occupational Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, BABCP accredited
Member of British Association of Behavioural and Psychotherapies (BABCP)
Qualified Occupational Therapist
Occupational Therapist (Since 2003) registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC - TOT37572)
Previously Co-Chair of the Compassion Focused Therapy SIG for BABCP - now a committee member.
Member of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation
Member of the BABCP Independent Practitioner Special Interest Group
Member of EMDR Association UK
Trustee & Treasurer of charity Emetophobia Action
Lisa has also completed several extensive training in the areas of; Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety, compassionate focused therapy, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Emetophobia (vomit phobia), perfectionism, hoarding and clinical supervision of staff.
Therapeutic Approaches & Models
BABCP Accredited CBT Therapist
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Eye Movement Desensitisation Regulation (EMDR)
Trauma Focused CBT
Integrative Therapy
Lisa Works With:
Adolescents (10 - 18 Years)
Adults (19-65 Years)
Elderly (65+ Years)
Client Testimonials
Life-Changing Therapy for an 11-Year-Old’s Insect Phobia with Lisa Johnston
“We recently contacted My Therapist Online to help our 11-year-old daughter, Lila, with her insect phobia. She had reached the point where she found it increasingly difficult to stay calm or think rationally whenever she saw an insect, particularly mayflies.
From our very first contact, My Therapist Online were outstanding. They took the time to really understand our daughter’s phobia and carefully matched us with a therapist who was the right fit.
Our therapist, Lisa, was exceptionally talented, kind, and caring. Lila connected with her immediately, engaged enthusiastically in every session, and responded incredibly well to the treatment. After just six sessions, she has grown in confidence enormously and can now face insects without completely melting down.
The difference has genuinely been life-changing for our daughter and for our family. We owe Lisa and the whole team a huge amount of gratitude for the care, expertise, and support they have shown throughout the process.
Thank you so much.” Dad of 11 year old with phobias.
“After just six sessions, our daughter’s phobia has reduced significantly”
“My 10-year-old daughter was struggling with a fear of sick, (emetophobia), and was starting to affect her everyday. We couldn’t find a suitable specialist locally to help. My Therapist Online quickly matched her with a fantastic therapist. Lisa specialises in emetophobia and she used both CBT and EMDR which was very effective. After just six sessions, our daughter’s phobia has reduced significantly, and her anxieties which were related to her fear disappeared. I would highly recommend Lisa and the team at My Therapist Online for helping families find the right therapist. Thank you so much Lisa.” Mum of 10 year old with Emetophobia
Creating a Safe and Supportive Space
“Lisa is a wonderful therapist who I would definitely recommend. She made me feel safe and comfortable from the first meeting and was flexible with appointments when needed. Therapy felt a safe space to explain how I was feeling without being judged and knowing I would get valuable advice in response to my struggles. It's also provided me with lots of techniques to cope with not only emetophobia specifically, but anxiety as a whole.” Gemma
Support That Starts Before Therapy Does
“I wanted to share how supported and heard we felt when we reached out for advice about our son and his challenges. You were very responsive and generous with your time and advice and despite the fact that he had not actually had any therapy with you yet, we felt that you were so helpful and supportive and gave useful advice and suggestions. We also feel that we can return to you at any time and hope that we will work with you in the future. I would recommend mytherapistonine to anyone in a similar position as us.” Mum of a young person struggling with BDD (Feedback about Lisa and My Therapist Online)
“The absolute best. The quality of care, the expertise, the compassion”
The absolute best. The quality of care, the expertise, the compassion... I could go on and on in my praise for MTO. Working with them was utterly transformational. I had tried various other service providers in the past, not going for much longer than one or two sessions as I would often leave appointments feeling deflated and misunderstood... but from the very first interaction with MTO, I just knew that it would be different. And it really was. It was everything I had hoped for, and more. I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with Lisa Johnston - and I remain grateful every day for that opportunity. I have recommended the company to many other individuals - all who have worked with different therapists within the company - each and every one having a brilliant experience. Thank you MTO!
"Transformative Therapy for Lasting Change"
“My therapy, helped massively. I am now not only able to do everyday activities but enjoy life as well. I am so incredibly grateful for all the help and advice I have received.
It was incredibly helpful. I genuinely believed that I wouldn’t be able to do anything fun and normal again. But with the amazing therapy I received, my emetaphobia no longer stops me from doing the things I want to achieve. So grateful.” Heidi
"Empowering OCD Treatment"
“I would highly recommend Lisa to anyone with OCD. What makes Lisa stand out from other therapists is her commitment to helping you make long-lasting improvements after the therapy finishes. Right from the start, Lisa makes it clear that the aim of therapy is to empower you to be your own therapist. I found Lisa’s approach to CBT brilliant. The therapy is very structured and focused. Goals and a plan are agreed on together at the start, and each session has an agenda with exposure experiments to complete at home. This structured approach allowed me to see my progress which in turn motivated me further.
Lisa is very professional and she is also very empathetic. I immediately felt at ease and could be honest about my difficulties. I am so pleased that I found Lisa; I only wish I had found her 10 years earlier. I have made much more progress than I expected to, and I will not hesitate to get back in touch with her in the future should I need to.” Annonymous
"Committed to Patient Success"
“Lisa is a true professional committed to patients’ success and will help you help yourself. Under her tutelage, I made significant gains against years of entrenched behaviour within several months.” GH
"Goal-Oriented and Flexible Therapy"
“I had a very positive experience of therapy with Lisa. I always felt there was an overall plan and that we were working towards a goal together which is something that has been missing with previous therapists where I felt almost responsible for directing therapy or that I was just coasting along. I feel I connected with Lisa very well and again, compared to other therapists, I felt she was able to challenge me and appreciate where I was coming from. Each session seemed to achieve a lot although Lisa was very flexible and I quickly became aware that I could raise anything that had come up that week or something that had been affecting me and Lisa was happy to work on that rather than what might have been planned.” Annonymous
"Professional, Compassionate, and Structured"
“Therapy was delivered in a way that felt relaxed but again always had direction. Lisa used visual aids which I found really useful and she would often email me with a summary of a session - I referred back to these emails countless times when I was struggling. I found Lisa to be very professional and knowledgeable but also kind and empathic.“
“I would certainly recommend online therapy to a friend. As someone who has been in therapy before I think that I found it easy to adapt but others may take a little longer. I would certainly recommend it in terms of accessibility and I don't think I cancelled one session with Lisa during our months of therapy whereas in the past I have felt that depression or anxiety have been factors in me not making the journey to a therapist's office. In the comfort of my own home I felt therapy was more accessible. I didn't feel at all intimidated whereas at office-based therapy I have often felt under the microscope.” JD
"Focused and Empowering Treatment"
“Lisa is fantastic! Her methods were the most effective and professional I have experienced. She clearly is focused on results and the patient (as opposed to maximising revenue by slow rolling treatment). Over the course of ten sessions she quickly gauged my comfort levels, applied an appropriate amount of pressure to push me to complete CBT tasks and challenge OCD, and taught me the basics of the theory and practice so I am empowered to be my own therapist.” SM
Types of Therapy Explained
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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an evidenced based & well researched talking therapy. It is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for many mental health problems.
It is most commonly used to treat anxiety and depression, but can be useful for many other mental and physical health problems.
CBT focuses upon how your thoughts and behaviours impact upon your emotions and physical symptoms.
CBT is collaborative treatment and typically involves doing homework tasks between appointments.
It aims to teach you to become your own therapist, teaching you tools so you can keep using the strategies and techniques you have learned after you have finished therapy.
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Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is a highly effective, evidence-based therapy used to treat anxiety disorders such as obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and phobias like emetophobia (fear of vomiting).
ERP works by gently and gradually helping you face situations, thoughts, images, or sensations that trigger anxiety (the exposure), while learning to resist the usual behaviours used to reduce that anxiety (the response prevention). These behaviours might include checking, avoiding, seeking reassurance, or engaging in mental rituals.
Although anxiety may initially rise during an exposure, the brain naturally learns over time that the feared outcome is either unlikely to happen or manageable if it does. As this learning occurs, anxiety reduces and the need for safety behaviours begins to fade.
ERP is always carried out collaboratively and at a pace that feels manageable. Together, you and your therapist create a structured plan of gradual steps designed to build confidence, reduce fear, and help you reclaim parts of life that anxiety may have taken away.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a therapeutic approach designed to help people heal from trauma and highly distressing experiences. When a person goes through psychological trauma or significant stress, their brain may struggle to fully process the event. This can leave the person feeling "stuck" with disturbing emotions, thoughts, and bodily sensations that resurface as if they were reliving the experience.
EMDR helps to reprocess these stuck memories, allowing the brain to resolve them in a healthier way. This often leads to a significant reduction, or even elimination, of distressing symptoms, improving emotional well-being.
Recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2013 as an effective treatment for trauma and trauma-related disorders, EMDR has been extensively researched and proven to help with a wide range of psychological difficulties. The therapy follows a structured eight-phase protocol that ensures safety and guidance for the client. During sessions, bilateral stimulation—such as guided eye movements or tapping—helps the brain process traumatic memories in a controlled and conscious manner.
Many clients find that EMDR can lead to faster, more lasting results compared to traditional talk therapy alone, making it a highly effective option for addressing trauma and other distressing life events.
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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a modern, evidence-based approach often used to support people experiencing obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and phobias such as emetophobia.
ACT focuses on changing your relationship with difficult thoughts, feelings, and urges rather than trying to eliminate them completely. Many people struggling with anxiety find themselves caught in a constant battle with their thoughts — trying to control, suppress, or analyse them. Unfortunately, this often makes them feel more powerful and distressing.
In ACT, you learn practical skills to step back from these thoughts, noticing them as mental events rather than facts that must be acted upon. At the same time, the therapy helps you clarify what truly matters to you — your values — and supports you in taking meaningful steps toward the life you want to live, even when anxiety is present.
For people with OCD, BDD, or emetophobia, ACT can be particularly helpful alongside approaches such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), as it strengthens the ability to tolerate uncertainty, reduce struggles with intrusive thoughts, and build a more flexible and compassionate way of responding to anxiety.
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Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is an evidence-based approach designed to help people who experience high levels of shame, self-criticism, and anxiety — difficulties that are often present in conditions such as OCD, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and emetophobia.
CFT helps you understand how the mind evolved to detect threat and protect us, which can sometimes lead to harsh self-criticism, fear, and cycles of anxiety. Rather than blaming yourself for these patterns, the therapy focuses on developing a more compassionate and supportive way of relating to your thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Through practical exercises such as compassionate imagery, breathing practices, and compassionate self-reflection, CFT helps you strengthen the brain’s “soothing system” — the part that promotes feelings of safety, balance, and emotional regulation. Over time, this can make it easier to face fears, tolerate uncertainty, and respond to difficult thoughts or urges with greater understanding and kindness.
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Integrative therapy is a flexible, personalised approach that draws on a range of evidence-based psychological therapies to support people with complex anxiety disorders such as OCD, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and emetophobia.
Rather than using a single therapy model, integrative therapy allows your therapist to combine different approaches depending on your needs and the challenges you are experiencing. This might include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to understand patterns of thoughts and behaviours, Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to help you face fears and reduce avoidance, EMDR to process distressing past experiences that may be maintaining anxiety, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to build psychological flexibility, and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) to reduce shame and self-criticism.
By thoughtfully combining these approaches, integrative therapy aims to address both the underlying causes of anxiety and the patterns that keep it going in the present. The result is a more tailored and comprehensive treatment that supports lasting change and helps you regain confidence in your ability to manage fear and uncertainty.