Credentials
I hold a Masters of Science in Counseling from Portland State University. My main training was in Community Mental Health with a focus on individual counseling. However, I also did coursework and practical training in couples counseling.
I have Practitioner-level training in NLP (“Neurolinguistic Programming”). The name sounds a little strange, but NLP is a set of techniques that help me use verbal and body language to understand my clients’ communication and make my own communication more effective.
I am also a board member for the Oregon Mental Health Counselors Association (OMHCA.) I act as the organization’s webmaster.
Experience
For more than two years, I provided counseling for English-speaking foreign residents in Sapporo, Japan on a volunteer basis. I was associated with the non-profit organization Health Hokkaido. I very much enjoy helping people through cultural adjustments and I look forward to helping transplanted people enjoy Portland and the rest of the Pacific Northwest to the fullest extent possible.
I did a one-year internship at the excellent Portland agency, William Temple House. If you can’t afford a counselor in private practice, I highly recommend William Temple House’s counseling services. At the time of writing, services there cost $10 per session.
Languages
日本語を話せます. I speak Japanese. 日本語能力試験２級の合格者です. I passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, Level 2 (Level 1 is the highest.)
I also have many years of experience with speaking Simple English. When I am speaking to someone who is still learning English, I can think about the English they have already learned. So my speech is easy to understand.
