Japanese Speaking Therapist in Irvine and California
Yu Markowitz, APCC — Japanese Therapist (Telehealth, California)
Yu was born and raised in Kobe, Japan and is a native Japanese speaker offering therapy entirely in Japanese or bilingual sessions for those who prefer a blend of both languages. As someone who immigrated to the United States and built a life here, Yu brings a deeply personal understanding of what it means to navigate mental health across cultural contexts — particularly for Japanese nationals, recent immigrants, and 1.5-generation adults living in California.
Yu's interest in the mental health field was sparked by her own early life experiences, and she has channeled that curiosity into a genuine passion for behavioral science, emotional expression, and neuroplasticity. She offers a warm, curious therapeutic presence and is deeply attentive to the cultural factors that shape how Japanese clients relate to emotions, relationships, and help-seeking.
Yu is available for telehealth sessions Sunday through Thursday from 5pm to midnight, making her an accessible option for clients with demanding daytime schedules or those who prefer evening care.
Yu sees clients: Via telehealth only, throughout California Languages: Japanese and English Specialties: Anxiety, cultural adjustment, immigration stress, identity, relational issues Availability: Sunday–Thursday, 5pm–midnight
Meet Our Japanese Speaking Therapists in California
Soul Song Therapy Group is home to two Japanese-speaking licensed therapists who offer culturally grounded, bilingual mental health care for Japanese speakers throughout California.
Whether you're more comfortable expressing yourself in Japanese, navigating life between two cultures, or simply looking for a therapist who understands the nuances of Japanese family dynamics and emotional expression — you don't have to settle for a provider who only meets you halfway.
We offer Japanese-language therapy sessions in person at our Irvine office and via telehealth statewide.
Yuki Shida, LMFT — Japanese American Therapist in Irvine, CA
Yuki is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, EMDR Certified clinician, and the founder of Soul Song Therapy Group. She is a second-generation Japanese American whose first language is Japanese, and she brings both personal and professional depth to her work with the Japanese and Japanese American community.
Having grown up navigating two cultures — Japanese and American — Yuki understands firsthand what it means to feel caught between competing expectations: the pressure to be dutiful and selfless within the family, while also carving out an individual identity in American professional and social spaces. She works with adults who are grappling with anxiety, perfectionism, generational trauma, and the invisible weight of being a child of immigrants.
Yuki uses EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), CBT, and person-centered approaches to help clients move from survival mode into a life that feels genuinely their own.
Yuki sees clients: In person in Irvine, CA and via telehealth throughout California Languages: English and Japanese Specialties: Anxiety, trauma and PTSD, generational trauma, cultural identity, life transitions Insurance: In-network with Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Cigna
Why Language Matters in Therapy
For many Japanese speakers, therapy in English creates a subtle but significant barrier. Emotional vocabulary, cultural idioms, and the way distress is expressed in Japanese don't always translate directly. Concepts like amae (dependency and indulgence within close relationships), gaman (enduring hardship with patience and dignity), and haji (shame) carry layers of meaning that can be flattened or lost when a client has to translate their inner world into a second language.
When you work with a Japanese speaking therapist, you can:
Say exactly what you mean — without searching for the closest English approximation of a feeling
Speak about family and culture in their original context — without needing to explain or justify Japanese cultural norms to an outside observer
Access deeper emotional processing — because emotional memory and expression are often stored in the language we first learned to feel in
Bring your whole self — rather than a translated version of yourself
This isn't just comfort — it's clinically meaningful. Research consistently shows that therapy conducted in a client's native language produces better outcomes for complex issues like trauma, grief, and relational distress.
Who Our Japanese Speaking Therapists Serve
Our Japanese-language therapy practice is well-suited for:
Japanese nationals living in California Navigating life in the U.S. as a Japanese national — visa status, cultural isolation, language barriers, work culture shock, and homesickness — can take a quiet but significant toll on mental health. Yu brings direct personal experience with immigration and cross-cultural adjustment.
1st and 1.5 generation Japanese immigrants Adults who immigrated as children or teenagers often carry a unique kind of in-betweenness: fluent in English, but emotionally or culturally still Japanese. Therapy that holds both parts of that identity is rare and valuable.
Japanese American adults (2nd generation and beyond) Growing up Japanese American in Southern California means navigating the expectations of Japanese family culture while building a life in an individualistic American context. Yuki's story mirrors many of her clients' — and that shared experience creates a foundation of genuine understanding from the first session.
Japanese-speaking spouses and partners Partners of Japanese nationals or Japanese Americans who are more comfortable in Japanese are also welcome. We offer a safe, non-judgmental space regardless of background or citizenship status.
Expats and international workers in Irvine and Orange County Southern California's large Japanese expat and international business community includes many individuals and families who struggle to find Japanese-speaking mental health support. We see clients both in person in Irvine and via telehealth statewide.
What Our Japanese Speaking Therapists Treat
Our bilingual therapy team is trained and experienced in treating:
Anxiety and perfectionism — including high-functioning anxiety, work-related stress, and fear of failure
Trauma and PTSD — including childhood trauma, relational trauma, and complex trauma
Generational and intergenerational trauma — the inherited wounds passed down through family systems
Depression and emotional numbness — especially in clients who have learned to suppress or minimize their emotional experience
Cultural identity and belonging — navigating dual identity, cultural shame, and the tension between individual and collective values
Immigration stress and cultural adjustment — loneliness, isolation, and the grief of leaving home
Relationship and family issues — communication across cultural expectations, marital stress, and parent-child conflict shaped by cultural difference
Our Approach to Japanese-Language Therapy
Many of our Japanese-speaking clients come to us having tried therapy before and found it unsatisfying — not because therapy didn't work, but because the therapist didn't understand the cultural context they were working within. Concepts like gaman (enduring hardship quietly), haji (shame and its impact on identity), and the deep importance of family obligation in Japanese culture often go unaddressed in Western therapeutic models. When a client has to explain their entire cultural framework before the emotional work can begin, progress is slow and the therapeutic relationship never quite settles.
What we offer is different. Both Yuki and Yu bring personal Japanese cultural experience into the room — not as a technique, but as a lived reality. This allows us to get to the actual work faster: processing trauma, untangling anxiety from perfectionism, rebuilding a sense of self that doesn't require choosing between Japanese and American identity.
For our clients who are Japanese nationals or recent immigrants, we also pay close attention to the very specific stressors of international life: the pressure to represent your company or family well, the isolation of building a social life from scratch in a new country, and the particular loneliness of not being able to fully be yourself in either culture.
We use EMDR, CBT, and attachment-informed approaches — all adapted to be culturally congruent for Japanese clients. Therapy doesn't have to feel Western to be effective. In fact, for most of our Japanese-speaking clients, it works better when it isn't.
Japanese Therapy in Irvine and Throughout California
In-Person: Irvine, CA Yuki sees clients in person at our Irvine office, conveniently located in Orange County — close to the Irvine Spectrum, UC Irvine, and the surrounding communities of Tustin, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Anaheim. Irvine has one of the largest Japanese communities in Southern California, and we are proud to serve this community with in-person bilingual care.
Telehealth: All of California Both Yuki and Yu offer telehealth sessions throughout California, making Japanese-language therapy accessible regardless of where you are in the state. Yu's evening and weekend availability makes telehealth a practical option for working professionals and students with busy daytime schedules.
Frequently Asked Questions — Japanese Speaking Therapist California
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Yes. Yu conducts sessions entirely in Japanese for clients who prefer it. Yuki is also fluent in Japanese and can offer Japanese-language or bilingual sessions depending on your preference.
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In common usage, these terms are often used interchangeably. A "Japanese speaking therapist" refers to any licensed therapist who speaks Japanese — whether or not they are of Japanese heritage. A "Japanese therapist" may more specifically refer to a therapist of Japanese background. Both Yuki (Japanese American) and Yu (born and raised in Japan) meet both descriptions.
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Yes. Yuki and Yu are in-network with Optum, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, and Cigna.
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Yu is currently accepting new clients via telehealth. Yuki has limited availability for new clients — please reach out to inquire about current openings or to join her waitlist.
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No. Both therapists are licensed throughout California and offer telehealth sessions statewide. You can live anywhere in California and access Japanese-language therapy through our practice.
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That's completely fine — many of our clients prefer a bilingual approach, switching between languages as feels natural. You can discuss your preference during your free 15-minute consultation.
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Yes, frequently. We work with Japanese nationals, expats, and Japanese American professionals who are experiencing work stress, burnout, and the particular pressure that comes with high-performance cultural expectations around professional achievement.
Start Japanese-Language Therapy in California Today
Taking the first step toward therapy is often the hardest part. We make it as easy as possible.
Step 1: Contact Us or Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation
Step 2: Meet with Yuki or Yu to find the right fit
Step 3: Begin therapy in Japanese, English, or a bilingual blend — on your terms
We are here for you. 待っております。