Just a Person - Living Authentically through
ADHD, PTSD, using CMI.
Host Robert Adleman sits down with Estefana Johnson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and trauma therapist with over two decades of experience in the mental health field. When asked to describe herself, Estefana humbly replied, “just a person”, a response that sets the tone for a powerful conversation about authenticity, masking, and what it truly means to live as your real self.
Together, they dive into Estefana’s journey, from her early days as a Behavioral Health Technician to teaching in Japan, to her wide-ranging work across residential treatment and medical social work.
Later in the episode, Estefana shares her role in the launch of Critical Memory Integration (CMI), a bold new therapeutic model that challenges the limits of traditional talk therapy. Instead of focusing solely on cognitive reframing, CMI helps clients identify and rewrite the unconscious survival strategies shaped by trauma, strategies that often outlive the experiences that created them.
This episode is a deep, grounded, and refreshingly honest look at healing, identity, and the future of therapy.