Dr. Johnna Medina Daniels
Licensed Psychologist
Expertise:
Addiction, Health Behavior Change, Exercise/Yoga Interventions for Mental Health, Acceptance & Commitment Therapy
About
Dr. Johnna Medina Daniels (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist, educator, and course creator who blends science, creativity, and lived experience to deliver accessible, evidence-based mental health resources. A 4th-generation Mexican American, Dr. Medina Daniels is known for her dynamic teaching style, deep authenticity, and commitment to DEI psychology.
With degrees from Stanford University, SMU, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, her career has spanned academic research, Veterans Affairs hospitals, clinical faculty roles at Stanford Medicine, and private practice. Her expertise includes behavioral addictions, trauma, anxiety disorders, OCD, chronic pain, and health behavior change, especially the use of yoga and exercise interventions for mental health. She specializes in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), ACT-integrated behavioral exposure therapies, and other process-based cognitive behavioral approaches.
Dr. Medina Daniels develops engaging psychoeducational content — from digital downloads and self-paced courses to client worksheets and artistic visuals with mental health themes — all designed to make healing and growth more accessible, practical, and empowering.
When she’s not creating or working with clients, she’s likely caring for her new baby, spending time with her two pups, crafting, going to rock concerts, or relaxing at a beachside café.
Professional Experience
Education & Training:
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Stanford University
Master of Arts in Psychology, Southern Methodist University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Psychology / Clinical Science, University of Texas at Austin
Doctoral Internship, Miami VA Hospital
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Current Roles:
Owner and founder, The Process of Change
Research Experience:
Award recipient of an NIH-NIDA F31 for dissertation research to study biobehavioral mechanisms underlying yoga's effects on addictive behaviors/nicotine withdrawal processes
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, NIMH-T32 completed at Stanford Medicine, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
A reflective exercise designed to help people process their grief after losing a pet. This reflective handout provides a structured framework for individuals grieving the loss of a beloved pet or "fur baby".
This comprehensive psychoeducational handout addresses common misconceptions about anxiety and panic attacks by contrasting myths with evidence-based truths.
This is for those with bodily anxiety sensitivity themselves, or therapists to use with their clients. It is an interoceptive exposure protocol shrunk into a brief overview / tool with guided exercises and gradual steps.