I’m a 1.5 generation Japanese American and daughter of voluntary immigrants.
That means I was born in Japan and was raised in the U.S.A. from a very young age. Much of my younger years were spent growing up in rural Alaska in a small majority white working class community. We were the only Asians in the area.
Much of my adolescence and 20s were spent feeling like I existed in between two worlds, not belonging anywhere. One in which I was a foreign object and in the other, not Japanese enough. I yearned for a sense of home that never felt within grasp.
Additionally, I contend with the impact of systemic, cultural, institutional, and interpersonal racism on me and those of the global majority. I’ve experienced or moved through complex traumatic stress, depression, grief, and anxiety. I’ve ebbed and flowed through hyper-fixation and focus, surges of energy, creativity, and motivation, as well as crashing into fatigue, malaise, numbness, and dissociation. I know what it feels like.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the many privileges I benefit from. I’m able-bodied, I’m cisgender, I have a driver’s license and a vehicle, English is my primary language, I’m a small business owner, I’m a U.S. citizen (as of 2022), I’m educated with a master’s degree, and many more.
Receiving my own body-based and Brainspotting therapy, reconnecting with my roots, building up a sense of self, and mending the trauma I’ve endured has led me here. My clients want to know I can relate to their unique experiences in some way.
In short, they’re seeking a therapist who doesn’t shy away from being a fellow human being with their clients.
Credentials and Such
I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Colorado (CSW.09926654).
I have a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Denver (2017).
I volunteered for hospice for five years.
I was a supervisor and Director of Case Management/Social Work for a homelessness services day shelter for six years.
I opened my private practice, Kokokara Therapy, Inc. in February 2023.
I am currently training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1), a body-based trauma therapy modality.
I am trained in Brainspotting, a powerful, focused treatment method for trauma.
I incorporate Polyvagal Theory (understanding of our nervous system) into sessions.
My Professional Support System (critical!)
Kintsugi Therapist Collective (KTC) is a virtual community offering embodied care, support, wisdom, and resources to trans and non-binary, BIPOC, chronically ill, and disabled mental health providers.
AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
Apply to the Lotus Therapy Fund for eight free sessions with an approved provider (me!).
I met Onyx Fujii, they/them (LCSW - PA) when I joined the first cohort of the Kintsugi Therapist Collective (KTC), of which Onyx is a co-founder.
They are who I turn to for superb clinical consultation.
BIPOC Unconscious Bias Healing Circle is a group of Brainspotting clinicians who meet biweekly to hold communal space for processing, practice, and support.
I’ve experience many an aha! moment or realizations about my own unconscious biases. I deeply value the humans in this group and the space we’ve created.
Things I care about:
Friends that I can be “me” around (no mask)
Learning varied histories (Nanking Massacre, Hiroshima + Nagasaki atomic bombings, indigenous genocide, solidarity activism between Black and Asian communities)
Ability for our trans, non-binary, two-spirit, genderqueer, and gender nonconforming community to exist in safety and well-being
Equitable access to universal healthcare
A free Palestine and dismantling of white supremacy and colonialism everywhere
Our earth and the impact of climate change
Indigenous reclamation of sovereignty/land
Reparations (listen to: 1619 podcast)
Children’s access to libraries full of books by diverse authors free of censorship
Abolition of militarized police (#StopCopCity) and the prison industrial complex
Things I enjoy:
Reading about trauma (oh, and for fun)
Being in the warm (not hot) sunshine
Cooking new Asian recipes after searching three stores for obscure ingredients
Kicking the shit out of a punching bag
Laughing really loudly, from the belly
Reading tarot for self and others
Things that are hard, but I figure it out and do them anyway:
Keeping track of dates and times of meetings and appointments
Driving at night with an astigmatism
Continued commitment to my own mental health and wellness
Preventing my little piles of things from growing into even bigger piles
Things I want to do/try:
Growing a bountiful garden
Remembering to water said bountiful garden so it doesn’t shrivel and die
Cook and create dishes with aforementioned garden edibles. And share!
Take a cooking class
Be the first generation in my family to save for and invest in retirement
Write a book
Get back to crocheting elaborate costumes
Read a book a month
Complete a mono-color puzzle (why would I do this to myself??)
Take singing lessons
A message and question to my fellow Asians: There were likely many times we’ve suppressed anger to be palatable for others, out of fear of judgment. We’ve likely been frozen and numb and disconnected - in isolation. I continue to invite myself, my clients, and community to find ways to rage, grieve, and hold accountable the oppressive systems that perpetuate harm against women, our queer, nonbinary, and trans peers, our Brown and Black cousins, our disabled and chronically ill friends, indigenous communities local and global, our waterways, oxygen, and precious minerals and soil. As a trauma therapist for marginalized people, including Asians, I invite my clients to explore what it means to be apolitical or an activist, disengaged or involved, and investigate the ways we’ve been taught to remain unseen and unheard and how the system promotes invisibility. Let us challenge the idea that healing occurs in isolation. Let’s ask, in what ways can we connect with others when we feel frozen, overwhelmed, and helpless in times we’re in need of care, and offer care when we are in abundance? What do acts of care towards collective liberation look like when we decenter the white and Western ideal of individualism while simultaneously tending to our own unique needs?