Chisato Hotta, DSW, LMFT, LPCC

Education
University of Southern California: Doctorate of Social Work
Pepperdine University: Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology, with an Emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy
University of California, Berkeley: Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
License #
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist# 98939
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor# 4830
If you’re here, you might be feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or unsure of what to do next.
Maybe your child’s emotions feel bigger than what you know how to support.
Maybe your teen has pulled away, and every attempt to connect turns into conflict or silence.
Maybe your relationship feels caught in the same painful patterns, and nothing seems to shift.
Or maybe you’re the one holding everything together… while quietly feeling anxious, disconnected, or exhausted inside.
I want you to know... there is a reason this feels so hard. And you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
In our work together, we’ll slow things down and begin to understand what’s really going on underneath the surface. Because the behaviors, the shutdown, the overwhelm—they all make sense when we take the time to look closely and with care.
I’m a relational, trauma-informed therapist who integrates cognitive behavioral and person-centered approaches. That means we’ll explore your thoughts, emotions, and patterns while also working in a way that feels collaborative, supportive, and grounded in who you are.
I’m also pretty talkative, and I tend to use humor in session! Because sometimes a little lightness helps make hard things feel more approachable. Therapy with me is an active, engaged process. You won’t be sitting in silence wondering what I’m thinking! We are in this together.
I work with children, teens, adults, couples, and families who are ready for something to feel different.
Together, we focus on building regulation, strengthening connection, and creating changes that actually last... not just in the moment, but in your day-to-day life and relationships.
If you’re a parent, I’ll help you make sense of your child’s behavior and give you tools that feel doable and aligned with your values.
If you’re a teen or adult feeling stuck or overwhelmed, we’ll work toward helping you feel more grounded, more clear, and more like yourself again.
If you’re in a relationship that feels distant or tense, we’ll begin to understand the patterns you’re both caught in and how to move toward each other in a different way.
My approach is also deeply informed by culture, identity, and lived experience. You don’t have to explain or minimize parts of yourself here... those parts are important, and they belong in the work we do together.
This is a space where you can start to feel understood.
Where things begin to make sense.
And where change comes from connection, not pressure.
You don’t have to keep doing this alone.
My books
Our Choices Book and Journal
This fun-filled children's book explores the importance of making the right choices. When the Red Choice Monster and Green Choice Monster come to visit, our young protagonist learns about the consequences of their actions. While the Red Choice Monster encourages reckless behavior, the Green Choice Monster inspires positive decision-making. With humor and creativity, this book teaches children how to make better choices and handle tricky situations with confidence.
This Dual Prompt journal is created to be a space for Your child to write and an adult to respond. The prompts inside encourages the adult to also reflect on their day and MODEL positive choices for the child.
Also included are various interventions for parent and child, these activities can also be completed alone by your child in order to practice coping skills.


