Meet Lakrystal Johnson | Child Advocate & Trauma Specialist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lakrystal Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lakrystal, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
The one thing that makes me the happiest is being in a position, having the mindset, and acting on the thought of helping others in need. So many people in the world struggle daily not because they are horrible people that do not care, but simply because the way they were raised did not cultivate a mindset that assures them that success is attainable and they do not have to be in a survival mode forever. I encounter so many individuals who are barley just living from day to day. It gives me so much joy when I wake up in the morning and go to bed at night knowing that I have done something, whether materialistic or psychologically, that has helped someone know there is life beyond their breaking point and someone cares regardless of their past or current situation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a child advocate and trauma specialist, I am overly passionate about the well-being of not just children, but all individuals. I target children because I believe if trauma is identified and healed when it occurs in childhood, those children will have a greater success rate in their adulthood. According to the CDC, had trauma been effectively identified and healed at its onsite, 1.9 million heart disease cases and 2 million depression cases could have possibly been prevented.

My passion for trauma and advocacy has been present in my heart for as far as I can remember; however, it began to grow and light a fire within me even more as I became an educator where I began to encounter children and families who were experiencing various situations. It was easy to become an advocate because of the passion I had already possessed, as well as, the education I had already attained. However, the challenge was, and still does, lie in the mental health arena knowing many professionals fail to receive proper training on getting to the root of issues, but instead choose to medicate the symptom.

I’ve learned that everyone does not have the same compassion and passion for trauma….including some mental health professionals. It’s one thing to take on the profession, but it’s a total different thing to have a passion and calling for it. Therefore, because everyone does not have that same passion and outlook, there will always be adversity and challenges when addressing and advocating for healing without medication.

I would love the world to know that there is hope. Every action, every behavior, and every decision that society deem evil or unacceptable, 99.9999% of the time, the root is trauma. Annette Breaux stated “Nine times out of 10, the story behind the behavior will not make you angry, it will break your heart”. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would most definitely do the downtown Atlanta where we will explore the historic sites and the well known places such as the Coca Cola factory and MLK etc. I’d definitely go to the Atlanta Braves Restaurant and Sweet Georgia’s Juke Joint!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I dedicate my shoutout to the parents who have so graciously trusted me to mentor and impart into not only their children, but them as well. So much is going on in the world today where it has become scary to let your loved ones out of your eyesight. However, several parents have not just heard my words, but they heard my heart, and allowed me to be apart of their lives. I am grateful!

Website: www.lakrystaljohnson.com

Instagram: I’m on Instagram as lakrystaldjohnson. Install the app to follow my photos and videos. https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?i=uz343a0uy7vu&utm_content=sei074

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lakrystal-d-johnson-826065198

Twitter: ldjohnsonticp

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lakrystal.johnson.902