Rising Stars: Meet Diane Johnston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Johnston.  

Hi Diane, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started this journey going to Oakland University to get a MA in Mental Health Counseling. After graduation, my friend and I recognized a need for counseling that addressed the financial barriers for clients in need. We created Thaar Care Counseling – Foundation in 2019 after the founder – Patricia Thaar father. We provide low to no-cost counseling when needed and also accept BCBS and Medicaid. Additionally, we provide services to those under the age of 18.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Huge obstacles and challenges! We started in 2019 July and had our first fundraiser in September of 2019. We had a handful of clients who did not take insurance, and most of our clients were nonpaying. Since then, our client base has grown to over 200% of where we started. We had our second fundraiser March of 2020, literally the Sunday before the state was shut down due to the COVID pandemic. We then moved what we could to telehealth or phone as many of our clients did not have online support or technology. At the time we had just partnered with the Oakland County Housing task force and were providing meals to  over 2000 students in Oakland County that were homeless. After the COVID lockdown, I delivered meals for two years with the task force to our clients and the general public every Friday afternoon. We also started a mini food pantry for our clients in need of food with the assistance of our sponsor Carmella Foods. For our fundraiser in April 2020, we collected $3000 dollars’ worth of returnables that we stored in a storage bin until MI allowed us to return them in the store the later part of 2020. We currently partner with Team Continue in Rochester. They raise money and continue to advocate for suicide prevention. They partner with Main Street Bike shop to provide rides for suicide prevention. Many of our clients are teens and young adults that are in desperate need of assistance from anxiety and depression due to COVID stress. We provide a school component where we go into the school to teach signs of bullying and how to cope. Recently our dog Sutton has completed the therapy dog training with Pawsitive Changes in Rochester and now assists in sessions and on the road in special events. It takes a village to prevent suicide and increase mental health awareness. We are building that support and foundation in our community.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I worked in hospital finance for over ten years. I went back to get my MA in public administration in Health Care Administration. At the time, there was a big financial transition in the hospital industry. So, I then made the transition out of health care and started working at Oakland University in the Department of Counseling. For over 10 years, I assisted students and the community with the education side of counseling. I realized I had a strong urge to provide and help others as a counselor. I realized how hard it was to find a good therapist, and that is what led me to pursuing my degree in counseling to make a difference.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
The program at Oakland University provides students with an accredited education to practice as a mental health therapists. We are provided with excellent hands-on technical training that other programs do not provide. Oakland has an onsite counseling and career counseling service that is open to the public for free. Thus, giving us wonderful experiences to the real world of counseling before we graduate. My education combined with my life experiences and finance background prepared me to start my own business and non-profit. I have a private practice in Rochester as well as being the Vice President of Thaar Care Counseling – Foundation. My husband and family have supported me in this journey 100%. My business partner Patricia Thaar and I pride ourselves in providing high-quality services to those in need without the barrier of finances. Our sponsors have assisted us as we started and ongoing: Carmella Foods – Fraser, Orange Theory – Rochester, 100 Faithful friends – Troy, Team Continue in Rochester, and many other private donations. No donation is too small as every little bit helps us grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thaarcarefoundation.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaarcarecounseling/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thaarcarefoundation/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThaarCare
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/xtRRBzLOQd4
• Other: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/thaar-care-foundation-troy-mi/326628