Clients Accepted
Adult individuals (18+).
Adult couples of all types and at any stage in their relationship.
Michelle works with English-speaking clients who are living in Japan for online sessions. For those living in Tokyo, there may be opportunity to supplement online sessions with occasional in-person sessions at Michelle's central Tokyo office. Online therapy is additionally offered for peoples residing in Washington state or those living/working on overseas U.S. military installations.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Please keep in mind that not everyone is suited for somatic therapy. Michelle will assess your expectations, goals, and symptoms in addition to her practice capacity at the time of consultation; she reserves the right to determine whether she is able to work with you. Recommendations and referrals will be provided in cases where Michelle is unable to take on your case.
Specialites
Complex childhood trauma, relational trauma, incidental trauma, loss, grief, terminal illness, autoimmune conditions and chronic pain, medical trauma, sexual trauma, adult adoptee difficulties and identity struggles, adoption triad challenges with adoptive parents and relinquishing parents, working with other therapists in their personal struggles, struggles with cultural assimilation specifically for Japanese returnees or foreigners living in Japan
Types of Therapy Approaches
Relational, Humanistic and Person-Centered Approaches, Somatic Experiencing (SE), Somatic Psychology, Trauma-Informed Practices, Polyvagal Theory, Mindfulness-Based Practices, Yoga Therapy Principles and Practices, Attachment-based Therapy, Nature-based therapies, Eco-Psychology, Art Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy techniques, Bowen Family Systems, Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples (EFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Multicultural Therapy.
Group Therapy
Michelle offers online and in-person group therapy in the following ares: grief/loss, DBT skills, mindfulness/somatic skills for emotional regulation, living with autoimmune conditions, somatic skills building & exploration, nature-based coping skills, expressive arts therapies for connecting to inner-self and meaning-making. Groups vary in timing and scheduling. Email Michelle to inquire about group work, schedule, and appropriateness at embodiedtherapyinfo@gmail.com
Nature-Based/Outdoor Therapy
For individual clients living in Tokyo, Michelle offers therapy sessions in one of the many parks or nature settings around the city. This provides the client direct experience with evidence-based nature therapy that promotes emotional regulation. This option can be particularly beneficial for clients who would like to learn and experience how nature and the natural world can aid in increasing focus, emotional regulation, connection, and reduction in anxiety/depression/trauma symptoms. These sessions are rooted in mental health counseling theory and are not promoting exercise. Where meeting in a public setting can feel vulnerable, Michelle will share beforehand the potential risks and benefits of a Nature-Based/Outdoor session while also choosing and recommending locations that offer more seclusion and less urban foot-traffic. Rates and scheduling vary for this service please email Michelle to inquire about nature-based/outdoor therapy at embodiedtherapyinfo@gmail.com
Expressive Arts Therapies
Michelle is currently enrolled in a Post Masters Graduate program in Expressive Arts Therapies at Prescott College (Arizona, USA) where she is being trained to use expressive arts (visual art making, expressive writing, creative movement) as a form of therapy for treating trauma, anxiety and depression through effective and evidence-based methods. Michelle will be incorporating these tools into sessions with her individual clients and in 2027 she will be offering a number of affordable Expressive Arts Therapy groups centered on a variety of themes such as chronic pain, breaking out of isolation, assimilating to life in a new culture, and cultivating emotional regulation. To inquire about these groups and to be notified of the scheduled email Michelle at embodiedtherapyinfo@gmail.com
When we are no longer able to change a situation,
we are challenged to change ourselves.