Alisa Koyama, LICSW

My path to becoming a psychotherapist and a forest therapy guide is impacted by my professional experience as an outdoor educator, a program manager for young environmental activists, a clinical social worker, as well as my personal connections to my culture, my ancestral roots, and the humans and more-than-human beings in my life.

Holding a compassionate space for our internal experiences while also moving towards our values is an integral part of my practice. I primarily work from a type of therapy modality called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, along with an intersectional, social justice, and relational lens. I hold a long-standing curiosity in collective healing in the presence of systemic injustices and polycrisis issues, especially the climate crisis. Thus, I tend to work with activists and frontline workers who are working towards social and environmental justice, including young adults who are considering going into fields that aims to address the climate crisis. I have found great relief in seeing myself as a flawed human being that is also capable of choosing to embody my values and hope to share those skills with you. I continue to pursue my own learnings and trainings in variety of settings and contexts - local, international, scientific, nature, decolonized mental health, and personal relationships.

I am bilingual in both Japanese and English.

セラピスト、森林セラピーガイドへの道を歩むこととなったきっかけは、これまで野外教育指導者、ユースワーカー、環境正義運動組織者、医療ソーシャルワーカーとしての経験に加え、自分自身の文化、祖先とのつながり、そして人との出会いです。カウンセリングでは、自己・身体・他者・環境とのつながりを取り戻し、湧き上がってくる感情から学び、経験を文脈化させ、あなたにとって大切なものが入る心の余白を生み出すための道具を与えることができます。

ソーシャルワーク（社会福祉士）修士号、公認臨床ソーシャルワーカー(LICSW)　取得