LivFull Blog is for mental health service users, professionals or those with an interest in psychology, mental health and neurodiversity - bringing all together.
Meeting new people, getting to know people and hearing their stories. Supporting and empowering. Learning – about psychology, the brain, people; about You and Me.
After working at some services here and there, and studying at some institutes there and here, I ended up here in Japan. Okay, this sounded like it was a linear upwards journey, ending with moving to Japan. This is far from the truth, and my journey is far from ending. The journey thus far has taken more than 10 years with many challenges and failures but also successes!
Working in Mental Health in Japan was confusing and anxiety-provoking as I did not know much (and I only speak conversational Japanese). Yet, it has been incredibly exciting and stimulating as I became more familiar with how things work. I learned soon that there was a big need for psychological support for the English-speaking community, particularly for individuals with neurodiverse needs. So here I am, starting this service to reach out and support people – my journey is just beginning…!
So, what is my approach to psychotherapy?
My clinical work adheres to national and international guidelines (e.g., NICE, WHO) and is informed by the up-to-date evidence base. I take an integrative approach to therapy. This means that I bring together ideas from different psychological models (e.g., solution-focused, cognitive-behavioural, applied behavioural and systemic) to get a holistic understanding of the client. In other words, I try to look at and understand the whole person to better tailor to individual needs. This is a person-centred approach.
Beyond the models, however, I aim to create a safe and non-judgmental space to establish a positive therapeutic relationship with my client. Within this space, trust, empathy, honesty and transparency are natural and expected. I hope, and believe, that this lets my client feel encouraged to share their personal stories, including their happy, sad and scary feelings, thoughts and experiences. This allows me to bring out the inherent strengths within my client to enable meaningful lives.
What I Enjoy Most About Being a Psychologist
As a Clinical Psychologist, I also take an active interest in applied research and learning about new perspectives and ideas. Generally, I am interested in positive psychological adjustment to chronic health conditions. Specifically, my interest is in adjustment to neurological conditions and neurodevelopment (or neurodiversity). Neurodiversity is commonly associated with psychological distress or mental health difficulties. Yet, we have to recognise the inherent strengths and abilities of neurodiverse people, including responding to adversity in ways that are growth-facilitating and contributing in incredible and valuable ways to their community.
I find joy in meeting people from different backgrounds and listening to their stories. In particular, I see it as a privilege to be part of their journey of life enhancement, self-growth or well-being. It is very exciting to collaboratively make sense of my client's psychological processes whilst addressing ways in which they wish to lead their life.
So, is Psychology (and the brain) the only thing I spend my time on?
Absolutely not! Coming from a multicultural background, I seek to learn about and experience different cultures — and not only the cultures we see in different geographical areas or societies, but also within families and smaller systems. There is so much to gain from this. I enjoy sports and physical activities, which not only keep me healthy but have also been a good way of connecting with people. A wonderful hobby I have developed over the last several years is computer gaming, which is not only a form of storytelling but has also opened a whole new venue for communicating and connecting with people.
One of my aims is to increase access to mental health services here in Japan. If you're looking for someone to talk to about tough life events (past, current, future) or struggling with difficult emotions or thoughts, feel free to reach out to see how I can help you or navigate you to the right place.
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