Canny Johnson’s journey from abuse survivor to Botswana’s leading family therapist
This week, Voice Woman had the rare pleasure of a virtual conversation with the ever passionate and powerfully honest Canny Johnson, a seasoned Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) whose life’s journey is as impactful as the work she does.
After an illustrious career in government, Johnson retired from the public service in 2010 and founded New Perspectives Counselling Practice, where she now serves as Clinical Director.
The 66-year-old grandmother’s early years were shaped by resilience.
Raised in a single-parent household, her mother – a professional nurse – was often away, serving in far-flung health facilities countrywide.
“I spent my formative years with my grandparents until they passed away,” she recalls.
“At fourteen, I was sent to boarding school. It turned out to be a very valuable experience.”
Johnson’s educational journey took her to the University of Botswana and Swaziland, where she trained as a teacher before beginning her career at Gaborone Secondary School.
After a brief stint split between Naledi Secondary School and Motswedi CJSS, she moved to the Ministry of Education, where she worked in the Department of Student Placement and Welfare, and later in the Counselling Division at the Department of Curriculum Development and Evaluation.
But it wasn’t long before her passion began to shift.
“While teaching, I kept encountering students with emotional and personal struggles. I found myself offering support, listening and guiding. That volunteer work eventually led to a formal appointment as Senior Guidance and Counselling Teacher,” she explains.
For Johnson, the work is deeply personal. A survivor of domestic violence, she speaks with honesty and empathy: “I’ve experienced what many women and children are quietly subjected to in their homes. That experience ignited my passion for mental health. It was during my MFT training that I found my own healing – and realised I wanted to help others heal, too.”
Johnson holds a Master of Science in Counsellor Education from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, USA, and a Bachelor of Education Honours from the University of Wales, UK.
She later pursued a course in HIV/AIDS Public Health at the University of Sydney through an Australian Fellowship Award and added a Critical Incident and Stress Management (UNDSS/CISMU) certification in Nairobi in 2018. The latter qualifies her to provide United Nations Counselling Services in Botswana and across East Africa.
“Through my practice, I’ve worked with government departments, organisations, families, groups, and individuals,” she says, and adds, “Marriage and Family Therapy focuses on the dynamics within relationships – whether between spouses, parents and children, or extended family members. We help people improve communication, navigate transitions like retirement or grief, and tackle issues like trauma, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.”
Johnson explains that MFTs often use techniques such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help individuals challenge unhelpful thoughts and behaviours.
“The field is recognised globally as a core mental health profession, alongside psychiatry, psychology, social work, and psychiatric nursing. Although many of us work in private practice, MFTs also contribute in hospitals, clinics, and corporate wellness programmes.”
When asked about the most pressing challenges facing families and couples today, Johnson doesn’t hesitate. “Couples often struggle with communication, intimacy, conflict resolution, and infidelity. In families, it’s parenting issues, grief, step-parenting dynamics, and behavioural challenges in children.”
But her concerns stretch beyond therapy rooms. “Our family structure has eroded. Many children grow up in homes filled with violence, conflict, and poor parental role models. Divorce rates are rising. Young people – especially men – are losing faith in marriage. Many can’t afford it due to unemployment. Some are discouraged by competition from older men who date their peers and keep them as ‘small houses.’ These are not theories – real concerns that come up during sessions,” she says.
Johnson also points to Botswana’s gender dynamics as a factor in strained family relationships.
“Culturally, we lack systems that hold men accountable for children born outside marriage. Even when legal action is taken, the process is long and full of loopholes. Some men who were abandoned by their fathers don’t see anything wrong with walking away. Others, ironically, stay in toxic relationships just so their children won’t go through what they did,” she says, hervoice becoming firm, almost urgent:“We’re in dire straits in as far as mental health is concerned in this country.Emotional wellbeing is tied to having basic needs met – being able to provide for your family, having job security, managing the high cost of living. These are all stressors contributing to the mental health crisis.”
And the country’s mental health infrastructure, she says, is not keeping up.
“At Princess Marina Hospital, psychiatric referrals can take up to two months. That’s unacceptable. Every hospital should have mental health professionals on their core medical teams – especially for patients dealing with chronic illness or loss,” she notes, stressing her concern about access.
“Therapy isn’t affordable for many. Without insurance coverage, people simply go without help. Mental health professionals need to be registered with the Botswana Health Professions Council so clients can claim through medical aid. That would open the door for so many who are suffering in silence.”
To those hesitant to reach out for support, Johnson has a final word: “A good therapist offers a safe, non-judgmental space. Most emotional struggles can be addressed through talk therapy. Don’t wait until it becomes a full-blown crisis requiring hospitalisation.”
New Perspectives Counselling Practice can be reached on 73888898 or 71986755 between 9am and 5pm.
