Getting To Happy Wellness

Who is Torri Johnson?

I have come to realize that there is a difference between what we do and who we are. Being a mental health therapist and social justice advocate is what I do. Being a mother to my wonderful and amazing little boy is one of my significant life roles. Who am I? I feel like this question is one of life’s most defining questions. I am a proud Black woman. I love being Black, and I love my roots. I’m a child of God. I’m human. I am both flawed and remarkable. I am arriving and becoming at the same time. I’m fearless, spirited, and dynamic. I value closeness, transparency, respect, justice, family, gratitude, and all things love. To the core of my being, I am a caregiver. I am a person who gives care to people who need help taking care of themselves.

What is Getting To Happy Wellness?

My private counseling practice is Getting to Happy Wellness, where I journey with clients along their mental and emotional health journeys. I partnered with my sister, Terri Montrel, and launched my private practice in September 2018. I provide individual, couples, and family therapy. Most of my clients are Black women who present with a variety of life challenges. These women primarily seek therapy to help them manage and cope with significant life transitions, depression, anxiety, feelings of inferiority and low self-esteem, broken relationships with family and partners and desire greater self-awareness and growth. In November 2020, we decided to extend our services. My twin sister and I opened the Getting to Happy Wellness Studio in downtown Greensboro, NC. My sister, Terri Montrel, is an actress who has done film and theater work. With our talents, our purpose at the Studio is to explore mental health through the performing arts lens. We hope to reduce the Black community’s stigma by having space where we can host stage readings written by African American playwrights that tell our stories of trauma, tragedy, and triumphs. We do this in hopes that we can start to have more courageous conversations surrounding mental health in Black communities everywhere. In addition to producing our stage readings, we will be bringing other performing artist such as poets, comedians, and musicians to encourage more dialogue around mental health. The Studio will also be a non-judgmental space where we can start to heal as a community through group therapy and mindfulness meditation practices and events.

It’s truly an honor to open our doors as a creative, healing, and growth space for the Greensboro community and surrounding areas.

#therapywithtorri

What inspires you the most?

There is so much inspiration in this world, and honestly, there are quite a few things that inspire me. For one, My son, Morry, inspires me. He is my greatest gift, my greatest love. There’s not a day that I don’t look into his eyes or hold his little hands and am not inspired. He also inspires me because I know that he is my legacy. In the words of Dr. Maya Angelou, “If I have a monument in this world, it is my son.” The other thing that truly inspires me is the stories of my clients. I have heard stories that have made me cry and have made me laugh. I have not met a single person who has not had some sort of trauma in their life. I have met some powerful and courageous people who have carried and continue to carry cumbersome loads. To see hope restored in their life and to see their resilience and growth in action is very inspiring. It’s an honor that I’ll never take for granted.

What are your plans moving forward?

We’ve made a really good start, so moving forward, I plan to keep growing and expanding. To include creating opportunities for members of the community to use our space for private events. h

Torri Johnson, MS, LCMHCA, NCC Clinical Mental Health Counselor Getting to Happy Wellness 108 John Wesley Way Suite B Greensboro, North Carolina 27401 (336) 405 - 7200 www.thegthstudio.com

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