One of the best parts of the Hub is the people in it — so we’re introducing them. First up is Jacob Johnson, LPC, of J.R. Johnson Counseling, a Phoenix therapist whose work is grounded in mindfulness and meditation, and whose idea of a good weekend usually involves pine trees.
Who Jacob works with
Jacob is drawn to clients who are ready to look honestly at their own lives. “I love working with anybody who wants to look analytically into their lives and make changes that may be uncomfortable but lead to more fulfillment and higher purpose long term,” he says. The throughline of his work is helping people feel more authentically themselves — and mindfulness is his favorite path to get there.
He leans especially on meditation, using it to help clients build the kind of self-awareness that points toward the changes worth making, and as a stepping stone into healthier routines and habits. For anyone carrying stress, burnout, or the weight of a big life transition, it’s a grounded, practical approach.
What drew him to this work
Jacob’s belief in mindfulness isn’t theoretical — it’s personal. He first found it while working in a mindfulness-focused inpatient treatment center, and ended up using it for his own healing along the way. “I found a love for the modality and its ability to provide help to so many different people experiencing so many different things,” he says. That versatility is exactly what keeps him committed to it.
What a first session feels like
If you’re picturing a clipboard and a list of probing questions, relax. Jacob’s first few sessions are “probably more casual than anything else” — focused on getting to know each other, talking through shared interests and hobbies, and simply building rapport. For him, that connection isn’t a warm-up; it’s the foundation. “A strong connection and bond has to come before jumping into any deeper work in therapy,” he says.
A Phoenix kid who recharges up north
Jacob has deep Arizona roots. His family moved to Phoenix when he was about four, so the Valley is “just about the only place I have memories of.” He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at NAU in Flagstaff, spent about 18 months practicing in Prescott, and grew up spending summers camping on the Mogollon Rim near Heber-Overgaard.
That northern pull still shapes how he takes care of himself — and how he thinks about the rest of us. In the hotter months, his reset is a day trip or weekend up north, surrounded by pine trees. He sees it as more than a personal preference: Phoenix summers keep people cooped up and isolated for the long stretch of hot weather, a kind of reverse of the seasonal slump most of the country feels in winter. (We dug into that same idea in our look at summer and mental health in Phoenix.) Getting out of the heat, for Jacob, is a mental health practice as much as a recreational one.
Working with Jacob
Jacob is currently accepting new clients, with mostly morning availability and the occasional afternoon. He likes to start with a free phone or video consultation to see whether the two of you are a good fit before scheduling an intake — and if it turns out he isn’t the right match, he has a trusted network of providers he’s glad to refer you to.
The easiest way to reach him is by phone or text at (623) 469-0606, a private line that goes straight to him.
You can learn more on Jacob’s profile, or browse all of our Phoenix therapists to find the right fit for you.