Helena Johnson

Director

Dr. Helena Johnson is a California Licensed Psychologist (PSY 21216) who has dedicated her training and career to the assessment and treatment of childhood disorders.  While Dr. Johnson is knowledgeable in all aspects of child development and childhood disorders, she has specialized training and experience in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders and other developmental disabilities.

Her professional experience includes clinical and research work in inpatient and outpatient settings, including university, hospital, and community-based programs (e.g., Early Head Start; Child Advocacy Center). In these settings, she has provided assessment, treatment planning, treatment, and case management skills for children who have autism and developmental disabilities, attentional problems, learning difficulties, behavioral issues, anxiety, and mood disturbances along with serious mental health disorders.

Dr. Johnson is committed to bringing services to her clients that are informed by the latest advances in science and research.  To that end, she typically is involved in grant-funded research projects and continuously consults the literature for findings relevant to the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.  Pending grant funding, Dr. Johnson has been invited to consult with, and participate in, research specific to the auditory processing of youth with autism through University of California-Irvine.  

Dr. Johnson completed her clinical psychology internship and postdoctoral fellowship training at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute (APA-Accredited site) inpatient and outpatient psychiatric programs. During her internship at UCLA, Dr. Johnson worked with leading child psychologists and psychiatrists. She was actively involved in several specialty clinics, including the Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program, Children’s Friendship Program, Parent Training Program, and the Autism Evaluation Training Clinic where she gained specialized skills in the diagnostic assessment of autism and in treating childhood anxiety, social skill deficits, and parenting skills. 

Dr. Johnson completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA’s Autism Evaluation Clinic that was exclusively centered on providing evidence-based diagnostic assessment, treatment planning, and program evaluation services to children, adolescents, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. While at UCLA’s Autism Evaluation Clinic, Dr. Johnson gained invaluable expertise in performing best practice diagnostic assessments of Autism Spectrum Disorders utilizing the most highly recommended and validated diagnostic tools for autism (including the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised) through the expert training and supervision provided by Dr. Pegeen Cronin.  While employed at UCLA’s Autism Evaluation Clinic, Dr. Johnson’s efforts contributed to several research projects through the Center for Autism Research and Treatment (UCLA CART).

Throughout her training and professional experiences, Dr. Johnson has gained valuable experience in developing and delivering treatment programs for children utilizing well-established principles of behavior.  In addition, Dr. Johnson has formal education in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), leading to a certificate in ABA, through Pennsylvania State University.

Helena Johnson, Ph.D.

Director of Clinical Services