Welcome Message

About

A place for deep reflection — and a path forward.

Wakako Nakano

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
公認心理師・臨床心理士

Wakako Nakano holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Humanities, Gakushuin University. Before beginning her clinical career, she worked for about 10 years in sales at both Japanese and international corporations.

She has since gained clinical experience in psychosomatic medicine clinics and at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Health Services Office, and is currently engaged in clinical research on PTSD, stress-related disorders, and eating disorders. She offers multilingual psychological support to individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Message from the Director

Throughout my career, I have worked with a wide range of individuals — those navigating the challenges of the workplace, survivors of domestic violence and crime, and individuals struggling with eating disorders.

My own professional journey began in a company where shouting and scolding were routine. At the time, developmental disorders like ADHD were not widely recognized in Japan, and I attributed frequent clerical errors to a personal lack of effort. Looking back, those were classic ADHD traits. Amidst constant verbal reprimands from my supervisors, I could feel my self-worth gradually eroding.

During that period, I also saw people close to me suffer — and some, heartbreakingly, lost their lives. As one of the few Christians in Japan, I have also experienced life as a minority. Seeing the world from this perspective has made me deeply aware of the subtle differences between what is "normal" for the majority and what it means to be different.

These experiences are what led me to establish Counseling Office INSIGHTIA. The name "INSIGHTIA" is inspired by the word insight — a place for deep reflection. We aim to create a safe, inclusive space, regardless of your background. No matter your religion, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation, I hope to offer support that helps each person live with greater ease and authenticity.

Our Approach

All therapy at Insightia is grounded in evidence-based practice, with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as the foundation. Rather than offering generic support, we tailor treatment to your specific situation — drawing on the best available research while staying responsive to who you are as a person.

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Evidence-Based

CBT and related therapies with strong research support — not guesswork.

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Culturally Responsive

Fully bilingual in English and Japanese, with genuine experience across cultures and minority perspectives.

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Collaborative

Therapy works best as a partnership. You set the direction; we work on it together.

Areas of Specialisation

OCD / 強迫症 Eating Disorders Anxiety & Depression Workplace Stress Expat & Multicultural Mental Health PTSD & Trauma

Publications & Presentations

Conference Presentations

"Approaching Eating Disorders with CBT-E: Perspectives from Multilingual Clinical Practice" — 31st Annual Conference of the Japanese Society of Transcultural Psychiatry, November 2024
"The Psychological Impact of Immigration Detention on Undocumented Individuals" — 30th Annual Conference of the Japanese Society of Transcultural Psychiatry, November 2023
"Adapted CBT for Two Cases of Bulimia Nervosa with Depression and Psychosocial Issues" (Semba M., Obara C., Narita M., Nakano W., Ogawa S., Ando T., Ino K., Sekiguchi A.) — 22nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies, October 2022

Publications

Translation assistance: Treatment Manual for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Exposure and Ritual Prevention – Therapist Guide and Workbook (2nd Ed.)
Foa, E.B., Yardin, E., & Richner, T.K. (2024). Supervised translation by Matsunaga H., Nakao T., Kaneyoshi H. Kongō Publishing, Japan.