Yoko is an ANZACATA (Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association) registered Creative Arts Therapist. She holds a Master’s degree in Arts Therapy (Clinical) from Whitecliffe College of Art and Design in Auckland, NZ, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from San Jose State University in California, USA.
She is trained in Arts Therapy, Dance Movement Therapy, Somatic Therapy, counseling, and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). By adopting a pluralistic approach, she caters to the unique needs and processes of each individual.
After working as a substance abuse counselor in California, USA, Yoko moved to New Zealand, where she studied Clinical Arts Therapy. Following the completion of her master’s degree in 2015, she worked with children and teenagers with developmental disabilities, subsequently focusing extensively on trauma therapy for the past seven years in Auckland, New Zealand.
She views healing, recovery, and growth as a creative process. Her background with martial arts, Japanese Taiko drumming, bodywork, and Eastern Medicine also contributes to her psychotherapy work where she holds the space for clients to reconnect with themselves and to the natural intelligence of their body.