Areas of Expertise
Individual Therapy for Adolescents & Adults
Are you anxious? Depressed? Angry? Do you feel frustrated in your relationships? Are you struggling at work or school? I have years of experience helping teenagers and adults find more peace and fulfillment in their lives.
Therapy for Couples & Families
Couples and families fight about all sorts of things, but the most intense and painful conflicts are always, ultimately, about the bond between you. Beneath the harsh words and the emotional injuries is the question: "Are you there for me?" My work with couples and families is informed by attachment theory. Instead of trying to quell your emotions, I strive to help you use your emotional interactions to become closer to each other.
Clinical Supervision
I provide clinical supervision to mental health professionals in Japan and around the world. I make a point of getting supervision myself. I think that psychotherapy is too complex a job for us to do alone! My aim as a supervisor is to give you a safe, supportive and confidential place to talk openly about difficult things, to explore new theories and concepts, and to help you develop your own effective way of doing therapy.
My Approach
Psychotherapy is collaborative.
I can't just solve your problems with a few words of advice, but you and I can work together to figure out what's going on and what can be done about it. I put my knowledge and experience at your disposal, offer support, give feedback, even assign homework - but psychotherapy is more like a workout at the gym than a visit to the doctor. It requires an active effort on your part, both during your sessions with me and at other times throughout the week.
Each relationship is unique.
I use different theories and techniques to fit each client’s needs. To help you make an informed decision, I'll let you know what I think will work best for you and I'll check in with you regularly to see how we each feel therapy is progressing.
Psychotherapy isn’t always pleasant.
Sometimes it entails becoming more (rather than less) aware of your own unhappy thoughts, feelings and behavior. On the other hand, it can lead to more satisfying relationships, greater personal awareness, improved ability to manage stress – even to better performance at work or school.
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Psychotherapy takes time.
There’s a lot of pressure on therapists these days to work fast. Insurance companies and government health programs often insist on very short-term CBT-based treatment for any and all problems. Social media influencers peddle their own versions of amazing psychological breakthroughs.
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But… real change takes time. Therapy is not medication, but it does follow the same “dose-response curve.” It takes time to build a relationship with your therapist, and more time after that to identify and change old, unconscious habits. The bigger and older your issues are, the longer they’re going to take to resolve. Be patient. Don’t give up.
It pays to shop around.
Research has shown that the single most important predictor of success in psychotherapy is your relationship with your therapist - so it makes sense to choose a therapist with whom you feel safe, comfortable, and understood.
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I encourage all prospective clients to shop around. You can locate therapists by asking a friend, a relative, a co-worker, your child's school counselor, your physician, your HR Manager... Qualified, licensed therapists can be found at International Mental Health Professionals Japan, TELL Counseling Center, Tokyo International Psychotherapy and Tokyo Mental Health. Your online choices are endless.
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Once you've identified some likely prospects, contact them and see if they're willing to speak with you on the phone for 5-10 minutes. Ask them about their training and experience. Find out about their fees and scheduling policies. See what it feels like to talk to them before you make an appointment.
