CSWA
5-24
Education
MSW (Clinical Social Work)
MBA (Business Analysis Assessment of University Management
MS-Post Adult Continuing Education (International Students and adjustment)
MS-Curriculum & Instruction Meditation (Effect for university students) (in the U.S.)
MEd- International Education and English As a Second Language Education (in Japan)
Ph.D. Candidate-Public Administration (Individual Healing, Community Healing, and Community Building, Family Medical Leave Act)
Reveal Sun Energy in Us
Hello! こんにちは！I introduce myself as the third person here! It is because it is beneficial for us to observe ourselves as the third person for our mental health sometimes. Please try it! :D
She is an educator, a counselor, and a parent from Kobe, Japan. Yoko means Sun Child in Japan. Kinoshita means under the tree. Her full name means that the sun child under the tree.
We all have sun energy inside of us. It is always there. When we are not feeling well, we are creating clouds in us to disturbed our sun to shine.
Adventurous Yoko came to the U.S. for the first time to study English and explore her new country when she was a junior in university after she worked hard to save up the trip money. She wanted to communicate with more people not only in Japan but also in other countries in the world. English is a good tool for it.
And, this time, 14 years ago, she came to Portland for her son’s education and better life opportunities for him because her 10 years old mixed race of White and Japanese son wanted to study English in Portland, OR. He said, “I am an American citizen, so I have a right to study in the U.S.” This is how the new journey for her son and her life started. Here is her life journey story: TED talk: It Takes A Village | Yoko Kinoshita-Gorman | TED x Portland State University While she was raising her son and working as an educator and mentor, she thankfully earned all master’s degrees as a single parent with her supporters from families and friends in her communities in the U.S. and Japan.
Life is full of surprises, and we want to adjust it accordingly. There are various approaches to how we see our life journey. She is a facilitator who can help you rewrite your story to clear your clouds to heal and energize with the following theories.
My Current Backbone Approaches
Modality
My current main counseling approach is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) with approaches with Motivational Interviews, Trauma Informed Care, Essential Theory, Polyvagal Approach, Solution-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Life of Living Breathing Technique, and Internal Family Systems.
Evaluate and Rewrite
If we ignore the time to re- evaluate and adjust our own stories once a while, we might become depressed or feel anxiety. We might sometimes lead ourselves to be addicted to something to fill the gaps between how we truly feel and our own expectation and try to make us feel numb to feel our own disappointment from the gap.
Being our authentic selves does not mean to be selfish in the community. Historically, human beings tend to protect themselves and their people and property. People have created laws to do so and have colonized systems. The laws sometimes have been unfair, and colonization has harmed many people’s mental health generationally. Those injustices have been creating hopelessness and depression.
Individuals contribute to create communities, and the community influences individuals. Individuals need to be aware of how and what each contributes and what kind of community is created by. Healing starts from individuals and communities collaboratively. Instead of charity, solidarity can heal many of us.
Helping clients is helping both clients and the counselor, and the community they are in. After the session, clients can be better versions of themselves, and the counselor can be better versions of themselves as well by creating the space to transform both sides together that transform the community.
She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Public Administration and researches how to support individuals and the community for the mentally and physically healthier lives.
When she is not working as a counselor here, she works with student-athletes at Portland State University (PSU), and likes to cheer her mentees loudly at their games. Hahaha!
She is also a sailor herself with the PSU sailing team and a senator for the ASPSU, a PSU student government. She plans events for domestic and international students and community members to enjoy together.
She thanks this community for supporting her to raise her son. It is time for her to return the favor. It was possible for a single parent from Japan because of the community support here in the U.S. and in Japan.
It does take a village for us to be happy.
Shall we work together to be happy?
