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Chisato Hotta, DSW, LMFT, LPCC

Anxiety therapist

Support for children, teens, adults, couples, and families who feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected

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.

About Me

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.

Who I Help

I work with children, teens, adults, couples, and families who are ready for something to feel different.

Children

I support children who are struggling with trauma, emotional overwhelm, or behavior challenges, including children impacted by commercial sexual exploitation.

Parents

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.

Teens

If you’re a teen feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected, we’ll work toward helping you feel more grounded, more clear, and more like yourself again.

Adults

I work with adults who are carrying a lot and want support in feeling more regulated, connected, and steady.

Couples and families

If you’re in a relationship or family system that feels tense, distant, or repetitive, we’ll begin to understand the patterns you’re caught in and how to move toward each other in a different way.

Areas of Focus

I specialize in supporting:

  • children with trauma

  • commercially sexually exploited children

  • children who struggle to follow directions

  • parents seeking support with child behavior

  • neurodiversity

  • teens and adults experiencing overwhelm

  • couples and families facing communication challenges

  • trauma, anxiety, and emotional disconnection

  • regulation and relationship repair

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

 

Begin Your Healing Journey

Healing is possible, and you do not have to do it alone.

My books
Our Choices Book and Journal

coping skills book

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.

Child and adult jounal

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.

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