Some stories we inherit deserve rewriting, and sometimes words alone don't reach far enough, which is where art comes in. As a second-generation Japanese immigrant, I understand what it's like to hold two cultures at once, and I bring that lens directly into how I work with clients navigating similar territory.

I'm a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a registered art therapist, and I work with adults, couples, and families navigating immigration, cultural identity, grief, and anxiety. Art therapy doesn't require any artistic skill, it's simply another way to access what's happening underneath the words, useful especially when a feeling is too big or too unfamiliar to explain out loud right away, which comes up often in grief and immigration work specifically.

Outside of session I spend time with ceramics, plants, and my dog, which is part of why art has a natural place in how I think about healing, it's not an add-on to my practice, it's close to how I process things myself. I hold a master's degree and am a Registered Art Therapist, ATR-P, in addition to my LMFT license, and I bring both trainings into the room together rather than treating art therapy as a separate specialty layered on top.

Adults, couples, and families in Tacoma and statewide navigating immigration, cultural identity, or grief find their way to me when they want a therapist who works with art as well as words, or when previous therapy asked them to leave part of their identity at the door.

My Tacoma office and telehealth are both open doors, pick whichever suits your life. If you're curious how art therapy actually works in a session before committing, send a question first and I'm glad to explain. Most sessions blend conversation with optional art-making, nothing is required, and plenty of clients spend most of their time talking and only bring in art when a feeling is hard to put into words directly.