Practitioner record · Checked 7 Oct 2026

Dr. Johnnie (John) Terrell has been in practice 45 years and is licensed in Indiana. Dr. lists stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse among 29 subjects on the BetterHelp roster.

Everything below is either quoted from Dr.'s own BetterHelp listing, taken from public licensing records, or written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such. Nothing here is an availability promise, a review, or a rating.

45years in practice
29subjects listed
9approaches listed

01 · Who Dr. works with

Dr. works with stress, Anxiety, relationship issues and trauma and abuse

Dr. lists 16 specialisms and 13 further focus areas. Specialisms are the subjects Dr. chose to list first, which is the closest a listing gets to “this is my actual practice”.

Specialisms
  • Stress, Anxiety
  • Relationship issues
  • Trauma and abuse
  • Grief
  • Depression
  • Addictions
  • Family conflicts
  • Eating disorders
  • Parenting issues
  • Anger management
  • Self esteem
  • Career difficulties
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Coping with life changes
  • Compassion fatigue
  • ADHD
Also experienced with
  • Forgiveness
  • Hoarding
  • Hospice and end-of-life counseling
  • Infidelity
  • Intellectual disability
  • Jealousy
  • Life purpose
  • Veteran and Armed Forces Issues
  • Paranoia
  • Personality disorders
  • Phobias
  • Post-traumatic stress
  • Sexual assault and abuse

02 · In Dr.'s own words

What Dr. says about the work

Reproduced in full and unedited - not summarised, not tightened, not rewritten in a house voice.

I am a licensed psychologist in Indiana, Kentucky, and Florida. I have 38 years of experience in working with individuals and families. During my career, I have been the director of hospital units and operated private practices in three states. I have experience in working with individuals from basically all walks of life. I have assisted individuals who have struggled with depression, anxiety, grief and loss issues, trauma, career issues, OCD, ADHD, emotional abuse, and a variety of other trying and difficult life challenges. I have found that life is sometimes very tough and challenging no matter who we are or where we are on life’s journey. The core of my therapy style consists of two combined words: “grace/acceptance.” I believe that everyone deserves to be treated with the utmost kindness, acceptance, and care by someone who is safe. My life goal, not only as a psychologist but also as a human being, is to treat every person with grace and kindness. A huge aspect of my style is patience and listening. From a clinical standpoint, I would probably best be described as interpersonal and compassionate in approach. I also use cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and rational-emotive strategies and thoughts to assist in the therapeutic process. Additionally, I incorporate a host of other thoughts and strategies that I have gleaned from both secular and non-secular writers over the years. My goal is always to treat everyone as a person with differing needs, thoughts, feelings, goals, and struggles. I do not believe that one technique, strategy, or approach fits all. I am constantly learning and trying to improve so that I can better myself and others. My approach is as a professional and human who has experienced a host of challenges and struggles himself. My thrust is to help each person realize that there is hope, even if they currently feel hopeless and at wits end. Again, all of these techniques are woven into a package that I like to term as a grace (favoring whether one believes that they deserve it or not) or acceptance-oriented approach. For many individuals, it is difficult to step out and seek help; and I understand that, because I am human and have practiced in the field of psychology for more than three decades. I think that the question that often comes to our minds as we take such a risk has to do with safety, that is, will the person I talk to be safe and not judge, criticize, or think poorly of me. My goal initially is to answer that question and continue to answer it via my behaviors and comments with, “No, I will strive to make this a safe and beneficial experience for you. I will treat you with acceptance and grace in the same way that I want to be treated.” Please let me know if I can be of assistance to you. If not, please continue to search for someone that you believe can be of help to you. If you are struggling, please don’t go it alone!

Dr. Johnnie (John) Terrell, on the BetterHelp listing · read 7 Oct 2026

03 · How Dr. works

The 7 approaches Dr. lists, in plain English

These are the clinical methods Dr. lists. The descriptions are Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - a general explanation of what each method is, so the list means something before you have spoken to anybody. They are not a claim about how Dr. runs a session.

Attachment-Based Therapy
Reads present-day relationship difficulty through the lens of how safety and closeness were learned early on. The therapeutic relationship itself is treated as part of the work, because it is where the pattern tends to show up first.
Client-Centred TherapyPerson-centred · Rogerian
The therapist does not steer toward a technique or a diagnosis. They offer sustained, non-judgemental attention and reflect back what they hear, on the premise that people find their own direction when they are genuinely listened to. Often what people mean by “someone who just gets it”.
Cognitive Behavioural TherapyCBT
Structured, present-focused work on the loop between what you think, how you feel and what you then do. Usually means noticing a thought pattern in the room, testing it against evidence, and practising something different between sessions. Among the most heavily researched talking therapies for depression and anxiety.
Emotionally Focused TherapyEFT
Built for couples and rooted in attachment: the recurring argument is treated as a cycle two people are stuck in rather than as one person's fault. Sessions work to interrupt the cycle and get to what each person is actually asking for underneath it.
Mindfulness-Based TherapyMBCT
Trains attention on what is happening right now - body, breath, the thought as it arrives - so distress can be observed rather than automatically acted on. Strongest evidence is in preventing depression from recurring, and it is usually taught as a practice you keep doing outside the session.
Solution-Focused Brief TherapySFBT
Starts from where you want to end up rather than from how you got here. Sessions look for the times the problem is already smaller and work out what is different about those, so the number of sessions tends to be short and the work concrete.
Trauma-Focused TherapyTF-CBT · trauma-informed
CBT adapted for people whose difficulty is rooted in a frightening or overwhelming event. Pacing is the point: safety and stabilisation come first, the memory itself is approached gradually and only when you are ready, and the aim is that recalling it stops hijacking the present.

Also listed

  • Existential Therapy
  • Hypnotherapy

04 · What happens next

From this page to a first session

Dr. practises through BetterHelp, so the route in is BetterHelp's. This is that sequence, written by Maker Therapy from the platform's published process - not a description of Dr.'s own practice, and not a promise about how quickly anything happens.

  1. A questionnaire, not a booking form

    BetterHelp opens with a set of questions about what you are dealing with, what you want from therapy, and any preferences on the therapist. You are not booking Dr. at this point.

  2. Naming Dr. specifically

    BetterHelp matches algorithmically by default, so asking for Dr. is a step you have to take. There is a field for requesting a specific therapist during sign-up, and you can switch afterwards from your account. Starting from a link on this page does not by itself assign you to Dr..

  3. If the caseload is full

    You will be offered somebody else rather than put on a waitlist. Worth knowing, because it is easy to assume a match is the person you asked for.

  4. The first conversation

    A first session is typically history and orientation: what brought you, what has been tried, what you want to be different. It is also where the questions in the next section belong.

  5. If the fit is wrong

    Changing therapist on BetterHelp does not need a reason. A first session that does not click is common and is not a verdict on therapy. That option existing is the main practical difference between a platform and a private practice.

05 · Before you commit

4 questions worth asking Dr.

Built from what Dr. actually lists, so they are answerable and specific rather than generic. Maker Therapy's, not Dr.'s - Dr. has not seen them and is under no obligation to answer any of them.

  • “You list both Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Attachment-Based Therapy. Which do you lean on with someone like me?”

    Those two point in different directions - one structured and led by the therapist, the other led by you. The answer tells you what the sessions will actually feel like.

  • “How do you decide when someone is ready to work on a traumatic memory itself?”

    Pacing is the biggest safety question in trauma work. A clear, unhurried answer here matters more than any credential.

  • “With 45 years in, what has changed most in how you work?”

    Long experience is only an advantage if it has been examined. This tends to surface whether it has.

  • “How do you handle the gap between sessions if something comes up?”

    On BetterHelp this varies a great deal by therapist. Better to know the rhythm now than to discover it on a bad week.

06 · Practical details

Credentials and licensing

Credential
Psychologist
Licensed in
Indiana
Licence
IN Psychologist 20042036A, FL Psychologist PY10787
Licence number
20042036A
Licence expires
31 Aug 2028
NPI
1942493168
Years in practice
45
Gender
Male
Languages
English
International clients
Accepted
Listed since
9 Jun 2026

07 · Provenance

Where every line on this page came from

Dr.'s name, credential, state, subjects, approaches and biography are read from BetterHelp's therapist roster, which Maker Therapy re-reads once a day; this page reflects the reading taken on 7 Oct 2026. The licence number and NPI are cross-checked against public registers.

The plain-English method descriptions, the first-session walkthrough and the questions are written by Maker Therapy and labelled as such wherever they appear.

Maker Therapy is not BetterHelp, does not take bookings, and has not met Dr.. There are no reviews or ratings on this page because we have no way to verify one. If you start therapy through a link here, we may be paid a commission - it does not change your price and it does not affect who appears here or in what order.

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