Lillian “Kay” Johndrow was born in Albion, Michigan and lived there for two weeks. As a child she lived in multiple states due to her father being an oil driller. She ultimately settled in Oklahoma in 1979. Married with 3 children she decided to seek a degree in 1986. She received her Bachelor of Arts from Northern State University in Tahlequah in 1988 and a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology in 1990. 

Her counseling career began at her Grand Lake Mental Health in 1990 where she served in Community Health Counseling for five and half years. Ready for a change she took a job with Cherokee Nation in 1995 and worked for 26 years until she retired in 2021. Continuing her passion for counseling she returned to work as an independent contract with At Peace Mental Health in Tulsa, where she continues to work today. 

During her counseling career she has specialized in Play Therapy, Trauma, Child Abuse, and Emergency Response. Additionally, over the years she obtained specialized education, license and certification to meet the counseling needs of her clientele. She currently holds licensure with the State of Oklahoma as a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S), Licensed Behavioral Practitioner (LBP) and a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor Supervisor (LADC-S). Her national qualifications include: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Certified Therapist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S), Clinically Certified Domestic Violence Counselor (CCDVC), Clinically Certified Forensic Counselor (CCFC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), International Gambling Counselor (ICGC-II) and Oklahoma Certified Problem Gambling Counselor (CPGC).

Her passion and love for children play therapy led her to join the Oklahoma Play Therapy Association where she served on the board as multiple years as Secretary and President over a period of 15 years. She continues to be a member supporting the Oklahoma Association of Play Therapy. 

Kay has been involved as a crisis responder since 1990 when she responded to the Oolagah and Catoosa tornados. After she went to work for Cherokee Nation she helped develop their Crisis Response Team. In addition, she served on several Oklahoma disaster teams which include the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC), the American Red Cross Mental Health Response Team, the Oklahoma State Response Team and the Tulsa Crisis Response Team. Over her tenure on these teams she had responded to multiple disasters to include: 2003 and 2013 Moore Tornados, the Hominy Restaurant Shooting, Fort Gibson School Shooting, multiple tornados, fires, and individual disasters. As a responder she helped develop and participated in multiple tribal and county mock disasters. She is a national trainer for International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) and previously a trainer for the Tulsa American Red Cross Mental Health Disaster Team.