During my tenure as a child and family therapist, I witnessed firsthand human developmental theory and attachment theory at play. Many years of working with children and their families has helped me learn how we develop our capacity to give and receive love and how we learn to relate to ourselves. It also led me to develop profound appreciation for the relentless willpower and creativity of humans to live and survive, even in the most devastating of circumstances. This experience has laid the foundation for my current practice with adult individuals and couples.

Amongst the therapeutic approaches I have studied, contemporary relational Gestalt therapy and Internal Family Systems therapy have had a profound impact on me professionally and personally. Contrary to traditional methods that tend to focus on pathology, both the Gestalt and the Internal Family Systems approach are empowerment-based. This is not about “fixing” someone. It is about nurturing our innate internal resources, including our ability to grow, while healing the parts of us that got bruised in our quest to survive. Both approaches aim to help people become whole and authentic. I believe that authenticity arises from taking ownership of all aspects of ourselves including our vulnerabilities that is inherent to humans. It is with empowerment-based approaches that people become compassionate toward themselves and others, come to own all facets of ourselves, and then reach the state of wholeness.

Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of working with people from all backgrounds, ethnicities, cultures, genders, sexual-orientations, religions, abilities, and ages. Being bilingual (English/Japanese) and multicultural puts me in a unique position allowing me to think outside the box and to be keenly aware of people’s unique individual experiences in the given contexts of their lives. Through these experiences I have had working with my clients, however, I have learned a universal truth:

Underneath it all, we all long to belong. We yearn to be seen, heard, and accepted, for who we are, regardless.

Being in therapy is a courageous act. I have deep respect for those who partake in it. I feel privileged to be a part of my clients' journeys whereby they come to own their personal resiliency as well as their vulnerabilities.

Education:

• Washington University in St. Louis, Master of Clinical Social Work

• New York University, Advanced Supervision Program for Clinical Supervisors

• New York University, Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI) Certification

Post Graduate Trainings:

• Couples therapy trained by Dr. Marla Silverman

• The Gestalt Center for Psychotherapy and Training, Gestalt therapy for adults

• Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, Family therapy for children with relational trauma and sexual abuse

• The Institute for Infants, Children & Families, Child-Parent Psychotherapy for children ages birth to five

• The Evidence-Based Treatment Dissemination Center for the New York State Office of Mental Health, Cognitive Behavior Therapy for children with depression and trauma histories