RResidents in Japan

Bilingual Couple’s Counseling in Tokyo?

My wife and I just got married a few years ago and we wanted to try couple’s counseling to better the communication in our relationship before we have children & settle down in a permanent location. We have a pretty healthy deep relationship, but it’s hard for her sometimes to communicate well due to culture differences & trauma from her past childhood (her father passed away when she was very young due to Karoshi – 過労死).

Does anyone have any recommendations?

I often see this thread, so I know to avoid that guy “burger” who often changes his name in Meguro, and Tokyo Mental Health Clinic in Shintomi is also not accepting new patients because most of their counselors don’t speak Japanese.

Please be kind to us. よろしくおねがいします.

10 comments

  1. I’m sorry I don’t have any recommendations for a therapist but what struck me is that you want a bilingual one, if you don’t know enough Japanese to see a Japanese one, maybe working on your Japanese would improve your communication to start with and if that’s not enough then see a Japanese therapist?

  3. this is why you never marry someone from a broken family

    because its a lot of strain to be with somebody who has past trauma

    im sorry but there is no good resource in japan

    you are better off settling in the West but risk her leaving you with your kids one day because many japanese spouses struggle to integrate in the West and get sick of it real quick leaving their husbands to wonder what happened

  4. Went to the local city office for info/help on the same issue. Was given a list of divorce lawyers/mediators.

  7. Bilingual Japanese couple counselor in Ginza:
    http://office-y-counseling-psychotherapy.jp/english/

    Just started there, but good experience so far. Fluent in both Japanese and English because she studied in the US.

    Her counseling is based on “Attachment Theory” described in the book by Dr. Sue Johnson (original English, but there is a Japanese translation):
    – EN: Hold Me Tight: Seven conversation for a lifetime of love
    – JP: 私をギュッと抱きしめて

  8. Do you think you could look into online counseling from the US or Canada? There should be Toronto based and West coast (U.S.A.) based counselors that are bilingual and aware of cultural differences.

    Good luck, and good on you for getting your wife help. She probably needs it and you’ll need it for yourself to support her as she processes her trauma.

Leave a Reply
— Previous article

Mt. Fuji early morning in late February
Next article —

[SEEKING ADVICE] Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route!

You May Also Like