Private Practice
San Luis Obispo, CA and Stamford, CT – 1987-Present

Therapist in private practice. Specializing in alcohol, eating, gambling, and sexual addictions. Also, co-dependency, incest, and child abuse. Treatment modalities include brief and long-term psychotherapy; play therapy; and individual, couples, and family therapy. Obtained initial California supervisory training in January 2000. Have completed follow-up coursework as required and supervised a total of twelve trainees/interns. Completed second level training in EMDR.

Twin Cities Hospital
Templeton, CA – 2003-Present

Sole social worker for 110-bed hospital with 10-bed ICU. Provide counseling to patients and families, including crisis intervention and trauma therapy in Emergency Room. Run wellness/support group for cancer patients. Member of Interdisciplinary Practice and Ethics Committees. Liaison to hospital chaplains. Responsible for coordinating staff response to patients with combined medical and psychological issues. Evaluate patients for transfer to psychiatric hospital. Assist families in making end-of-life decisions. Designed and implemented innovative program to reduce staff stress during two-year process of moving high risk medical units (ICU, ER, OB) to new hospital facility.

Rehab Care/Sierra Vista Hospital
San Luis Obispo, CA – 1998-2003

Medical social worker. Provided counseling and case management to patients on rehabilitation unit. Diagnoses included stroke, traumatic brain injury, and post-surgical complications. Ran support group for patients and families. Provided in-service training to hospital staff on psychological topics. Supervised MSW. Responsible for streamlining department procedures and forms.

Alliance Home Health/Sierra Vista Hospital
San Luis Obispo, CA – 1997-1999

Medical social worker. Performed home visits to the elderly. Conducted assessment and referred clients to needed resources.

Community Counseling Center
San Luis Obispo, CA – 1997-1998

Intake coordinator for family service agency. Performed initial intake interviews, assessment, and placement for individuals, families, and children. Responsible for updating intake procedures and forms.

Kaiser Permanente
Stamford, CT – 1989-1990

Primary therapist for HMO. Responsible for initial intake, assessment, and outside referrals. Conducted brief psychotherapy using play therapy and individual, couples, and family therapy. Led workshop for adult children of alcoholics.

Family and Children's Service
Stamford, CT – 1987-1989

Therapist for caseload of twenty clients, 10 to 87 years of age. Half of caseload were multi-problem indigent families. Continued specialization in alcoholism, incest, and child abuse. Led support group for adult children of alcoholics.

Family Service of Yonkers
Yonkers, NY – 1985-1987

Therapist for caseload of thirty clients, 6 to 65 years of age. Specialized in alcoholism, incest, and child abuse. Supervised agency’s intake process.

Guidance Center of Camden County
Cherry Hill, NJ – 1984-1985

Therapist for caseload of fifty clients, 3 to 76 years of age. One third of caseload were deinstitutionalized mentally ill adults. Established therapeutic group for children of single parent families. Led therapeutic group for schizophrenic adults.

Irving Schwartz Center for Children
Philadelphia, PA – 1983-1984

Full-time field placement. Therapist for eleven learning disabled children and their parents.

Family Service of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA – 1982-1983

Full-time field placement. Therapist for individuals and couples.

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Philadelphia Committee for the Homeless
Philadelphia, PA
Outreach Worker, 1983-1984

HOMES Halfway House
Ithaca, NY
Life Skills Trainer, 1981-1982

Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service
Ithaca, NY
Telephone Crisis Counselor, 1981-1982

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research
Ithaca, NY
Research Specialist, 1978-19852

EDUCATION

Smith College School for Social Work
Northampton, MA
PhD Student, 2008 to Present

Smith College School for Social Work
Northampton, MA
MSW, 1984

Thesis: Street Women of Philadelphia – An empirical study of homeless and vagrant street women.
President of Student Government.

Winthrop College
Rock Hill, SC
B.S. - Cum Laude, 1987

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

National Association for Social Workers
EMDRIA - EMDR Practitioners Association

PUBLICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS – Social Work

Johnston, Liz (2009), 100 Clinical Vignettes, 3rd Edition, self-published, San Luis Obispo, CA

Johnston, Liz (2004), 100 Clinical Vignettes, 2nd Edition, self-published, San Luis Obispo, CA

Johnston, Liz (1998), 100 Clinical Vignettes, 1st Edition, self-published, San Luis Obispo, CA

Johnston, Liz (1989), Co-Dependency: Feminist Perspectives, paper, Fourteenth National Conference on Feminist Psychology, Newport, RI

Johnston, Liz (1985), Homeless and Vagrant Street Women of Philadelphia, paper, Tenth National Conference on Feminist Psychology, New York, NY

PUBLICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS – Biology

Wood, H.A., Johnston, L.B., and Burand, J.P. (1982), Inhibition of Autographa Californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Replication in High Density Trichopulsia Ni Cell Cultures, Virology, Vol. 119 (2), pp. 245-254.

Wood, H.A., Hughes, P.R., Johnston, L.B. and Langridge, W.H. (1981), Increased Virulence of Autographa Californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus by Mutagenesis. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, Vol. 38 (2), pp. 236-241.