Hi, I’m Yoko

Somatic & Integrative Psychotherapist

My Story

I’m a first-generation Asian American and adult third culture kid (TCK), and a psychotherapist specializing in Brainspotting and somatic-integrative trauma therapy.

I grew up between cultures — learning early how belonging, power, and survival shape a nervous system.

My work is rooted in the understanding that healing does not happen in isolation. It happens in relationship — to self, to story, to the worlds we move through.

I hold the feather, with respect for Native traditions, as a symbol of balance and truth.
The ocean reminds me of resilience — of depth, movement, and collective connection.

I live and work on the traditional homeland of the Massachusett people, whose presence continues today.

I am not here to fix you. I am here to honor what helped you survive — and to support what is ready to soften.

We move at the pace your body trusts.

If this feels aligned, you’re invited to start here.

Start Here
Honoring Native American traditions, the feather reflects healing, protection, and truth.

What Shapes My Work

Before becoming a psychotherapist, I spent years designing and leading experiential intercultural trainings and leadership programs as an international educator.

I worked with people navigating identity, belonging, and cross-cultural connection — and saw how essential it is to have spaces where you don’t have to perform or explain yourself.

That experience continues to shape my clinical work. Our histories and nervous systems influence how we relate, protect, and survive.

Whether in one-on-one therapy, group work, or trainings, I focus on helping you slow down, reconnect, and gently work with long-held patterns.

I bring the steadiness of a facilitator and the presence of a relational, holistic therapist — creating space for clarity, connection, and sustainable change.

Reach Out to Connect

My RESUME

  • Graduate Degrees:

    • Smith College - Master of Social Work

    • SIT Graduate Institute - Master of Arts in International Education

    Undergraduate Degree:

    • Aoyama Gakuin University - Bachelor’s degree in International Economics

    License:

    License #123067 LICSW (The Common Wealth of Massachusetts)

  • • Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Primary Care

    • Hebrew Senior Life, Long Term Chronic Hospital Unit

    • Simmons University Counseling Center: Internship

    • Brigham and Woman’s Hospital, Faulkner Hospital Inpatient Psychiatry: Internship

    • Duke University, International House

    • Boston University, International Student and Scholars Office

    • Banco do Brasil - Tokyo Branch, Human Resources

    • Certified Brainspotting Therapist

    • Brainspotting Trainings and Specialty Workshops

      • Currently enrolled: “Consultant-In-Training” with Linnea Swanson

      • Brainspotting Phase 1 Attuning to BIPOC Experience, John Edwards and Linnea Swanson

      • Brainspotting Phase 2 Attuning to BIPOC Experience, John Edwards and Linnea Swanson

      • Brainspotting Phase 3 BIPOC with David Grand

      • Brainspotting Phase 5 BIPOC with David Grand

      • Brainspotting BIPOC Masterclass with David Grand

      • Developmental Trauma model of Brainspotting Digging Roots 1.0 BIPOC, Steve Sawyer

      • Brainspotting with LGBTQIA2S+ clients, Specialty Workshop, Cindy Smith and Pie Frey

      • Brainspotting with Relationships, Specialty Workshop, Jaegil Lee

      • Brainspotting with Children and Adolescents, Specialty Workshop, Monika Bauman

      • Posttraumatic Growth: Brainspotting & Parts Road Map to Liberation, Specialty Workshop, Cherie Lindberg

      • Harmonic Brain Healing, Specialty Workshop, Cynthia Schwartzberg

      • How to do Intensives, Specialty Workshop, Lisa Larson

      • SEBI Webinar: When the Body Fights Itself: Autoimmune Conditions and Brainspotting with Dr. Ofelia Datu

      • SEBI Webinar: Sensory Gating & Dissociation with Dr. David Grand

      • SEBI Webinar: The Great Mystery of Consciousness. What Is It, Where Does It Come From... and How Does Brainspotting Engage It? by Christine Ranck, PhD, LCSW

      • “Spirituality and Brainspotting Group" by Cynthia Schwartzberg

    • Linda Thai’s Certificate in Somatic Embodiment & Regulation Strategies

    • EMBODY LAB Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy Certificate

    • Memory Reconsolidation: Translating Neuroscience into Art by Juliane Taylor Shore, LPC, LMFT, SEP via Academy of Therapy Wisdom

    • Intro to Hakomi Mindful Somatic Psychotherapy

    • Foundations in Embodied Somatic Abolitionism by Dr. Resmaa Menakem

    • NCORE: National Conference on Race and Ethnicity organized by the University of Oklahoma University Outreach

    • Navigating Open Relationships, Polyamory, and Swinging in Therapy: Co-Creating Relationship Agreements By Tammy Nelson, PhD

    • NSGP: Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy: Board Member 2017-2021

    • NSGP Annual Conference participation since 2016

    • NSGP: Membership Committee 2016-2024

    • Ongoing participation in Observation Group at the Brookline Community Health Center

    • One academic year of Weekly Experiential Group (interpersonal process group) organized by NSGP

    • The Power of Group: Prioritizing Connection in Fractured Times by NSGP and BGSP: The Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis

    • Learning about Groups from Inside Out: A Day of Experiential Groups by NSGP and BGSP

    • The Strategic Use of Internal Family Systems Techniques by Psychodynamic Psychotherapists to Facilitate Access to the Unconscious By Richard Schwartz, PhD & Adam Rosen, PhD, JD

    • Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts Conference

    • Reconstructing Palliative Care: A Beginning Workshop

    • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Conference

    • AEDP (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) Immersion by Diana Fosha, PhD

    • A Soulful Warrior’s Six Session Journey to Transformation Through AEDP by Jerry Lamagna, LCSW

    • AAPCSW: American Association for Psychoanalysis in Clinical Social Work

    • SIETAR: Intercultural Trainers USA Annual Conference, Denver, CO

    • REIKI:

      • Usui Reiki Level 1 (2008)

      • Usui Reiki Level2 (2012)

      • Certified Usui Reiki Master Teacher (2023)

    • Vipassana 10 days Silent Meditation

    • Fostering Intercultural Awareness and Communication skills for Duke University Staff

    • Intercultural Competency and Leadership at International Leadership Conference

    • International Undergraduate Leadership Training Programs at Duke University

    • International Undergraduate Orientation at Duke University

    • Orientation program for Family & Caregivers of elders with dementia and medical illnesses

    • Mindfulness-based support group for older adults

You’re in the right place

You are ready for a real shift—not just insight, but lasting change

I’m here to support your body’s innate capacity to heal

Let's Begin