Mihoko Kusachi , LMHC

Mihoko Kusachi is a bilingual licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) based in Hawaii who combines practical skills with a compassionate, person-centered approach. She draws on a broad international background, having grown up in Japan and completed education in Tokyo and the San Francisco Bay Area, and she has worked in Japan, Australia, and the United States. She holds a master’s degree in counseling with a concentration in rehabilitation for people with disabilities and has provided mental health counseling for the past 10 years as a licensed therapist.

Before and alongside her counseling practice, she spent more than 20 years as a social worker and case manager in a variety of clinical settings in the San Francisco Bay Area and on the Big Island of Hawai’i. Over that time she has supported children and adults, with and without disabilities, on a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, gender identity, cultural adjustment, guilt and shame, self-esteem, motivation, loneliness, and purpose. Her work also addresses stress, addictions, relationship and family concerns, ADHD, bipolar considerations, eating and sleeping difficulties, career transitions, and caregiver strain.

Her clinical style integrates humanistic - client-centered values with existential thinking, somatic awareness, and mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral techniques. She favors a body-mind or psychosomatic integrative approach, inviting clients to explore thoughts and histories while using sensory-based exercises, relaxation, and self-regulation skills to reduce distress. She helps clients reflect on negative thought patterns and try practical strategies that fit their strengths and preferences, and she supports exploration of past experiences to foster more authentic living in the present.

Kusachi’s practice is guided by social justice and cultural responsiveness; she pays close attention to intersectional identities such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, disability, and socioeconomic status and prioritizes support for those who have been underserved. Her role is described as a collaborative partner who helps people discover and nurture inner resources as they work toward meaningful change. She works in English and Japanese and is licensed in Hawaii as an LMHC - Licensed Mental Health Counselor (HI LMHC MHC-329). She is not currently accepting new clients.