When you feel adrift, there is help.
There are certain moments in a lifetime when one loses their way in the darkness and needs a guiding light. Counseling can be like the beacon from a lighthouse for a drifting boat on the wild sea. It may help one find ways to anchor themselves, to right their ship or to reach shore.
Listening to the precious life stories of clients, I sense their suffering and emotional distress from anxiety, depression, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), loss and grief, life transitions, interpersonal relationships, isolation, and social awkwardness.
Through trauma-informed care, EMDR, mindfulness, and art therapy I assist clients to see and process the emotions of anger, fear, or sadness, working to heal, release the unhelpful feelings, and create a new life.
Empathy.
I have noticed that people often reach out to me because I am a Japanese counselor as well as my therapeutic specialties. Perhaps my uniqueness is to have lived in two different worlds: East and West. There are many differences between the two, yet we can also find similarities. Culture and language shape our thinking process and how we perceive the world. Whether you are from an Asian country or elsewhere, I have an understanding of what it means to be living in another culture and developing the internal skills and strengths required for that. Even if you simply feel “other” or outside of your group, my sensitivity to this is helpful.
Balance.
I believe that life is beyond dualism or divisions such as good and bad, right and wrong, reason and emotion, Eastern and Western, collectivism and individualism. My Japanese culture has shaped me to practice the middle path, one of balance and harmony. It is in the overlap between the two sides of what we perceive as opposition where we often find healing, self-awareness, and a tolerance of ambiguity. This is the space I strive for, without judgment, in therapy.
Welcome.
My role is to be an accompanist, to help a person recognize some of their deep emotions and help the person eventually accept, forgive, and develop “the self” to find peace in its wisdom. My practice takes place in a warm and caring setting, with a good sense of humor, and a relaxed, genuine rapport. Welcome.
