Online psychotherapy service based in Mississauga, Ontario, by a Registered Social Worker with Master’s degree from University of Toronto (MSW, RSW). Drawing on over 20 years of clinical experience, I offer bilingual (Japanese and English) counselling specializing in adjustment stress related moving abroad, rebuilding healthy boundaries in relationships, anxiety disorders, and couples / marriage counseling. I accept clients for online sessions from across Canada and throughout Ontario.
Leaving the familiar country of origin to live in a new culture.
As you strive to adapt to this different environment one day at a time,
how much anxiety and loneliness have you carried with you all this time?
“I shouldn’t experience any problems with everyday conversations or work-related discussions anymore.”
“People must think that I’m living independently and doing just fine.”
Yet, for some reason, a deep-seated sense of exhaustion and loneliness that defies words lingers deep down in your heart.
Do you feel a quiet sense of dissonance—as if the “you” who engages with society in Canada and the “real you” who exists in Japanese have become disconnected, leaving you with nowhere to truly belong?
The emotional tension you’ve maintained to project a “strong, well-adapted self” to the outside world may have reached its limit without you even realizing it.
Please feel free to share the daily challenges and pain you’ve kept to yourself.
The rift that has gradually deepened in your relationships in a foreign land and in your life with your partner.
The love you feel for your family back in Japan, far away, along with a complex sense of obligation and inner conflict that defies words.
And the trauma stemming from past experiences, as well as the still-unhealed grief over the loss of someone dear to you.
By telling yourself, “I just need to try harder,” and prioritizing the expectations and feelings of those around you, have you lost sight of the healthy “boundaries” you need to protect yourself?
It’s not uncommon for painful childhood memories and unresolved emotions to quietly cast a shadow over your current relationships and self-esteem as an adult.
You don’t need to keep tying yourself down with logical correctness or standards of “how things should be.”
Whether it’s the daily pressure that builds up in an English-speaking environment or the true feelings and tears buried deep within your heart that you can only express in Japanese—please bring it all, just as it is, into this safe space.
So that you can reclaim sovereignty over your own life.
Counseling is not a place where you are forced to change who you are.
It is a process of carefully reclaiming, one step at a time, the “true self” and innate strengths you may have lost amid the busyness and pressures of daily life—so that you can once again live freely and fully.
Through more than 20 years of clinical experience in Ontario, I have worked with many people navigating the challenges of living in a multicultural context. No matter how deeply wounded you may feel or how hopeless your situation may seem, with the right support, you have the power to heal yourself and move forward.
You don’t have to try to explain things with perfect words.
It’s okay if your story is unorganizied or if there are many moments of silence. As a professional and as a fellow human being, I will accept your words exactly as they are.
You no longer need to carry this burden alone or keep enduring it.
I will walk alongside you so that you can firmly reestablish your sense of self and reclaim the power to make your own life choices.
Please share your story with me, slowly and at your own pace.
[Information on Appointments and Inquiries]
You can click here to go to my Psychology Today profile page, where you can contact me by phone or email. Psychology Today is a secure site designed with cybersecurity in mind.
Our counseling sessions take place in a safe, online environment where your privacy is strictly protected.
No matter how small your concern may seem, if it’s causing you distress right now, it’s an important reason to seek counseling. Please feel free to gently knock on the door whenever you’re ready. I sincerely look forward to meeting you.