KIMURA WASHINGTON

Hello, I'm Kimura (Key-mu-ra) Washington, a Southern Californian native. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and have had the distinct pleasure of providing client-centered care to individuals in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and surrounding cities. I had the pleasure of working in partnership with Veterans, Caregivers, Geriatric populations, and individuals who were homeless to support them in their personal journey to self-actualization, acceptance, and empowerment. My approach You are the driver, and I’m the GPS. Your current needs or concerns determine your destination. If you want to take a fast route without detours, we can visit a Solution-Based Approach. If you desire a scenic route and would like to revisit your search history, we can take on a Narrative Approach, uncover your strengths, and empower you. Whether your destination is a straight line or full of loops and curves a client-centered approach is always utilized. My focus I have found that my faith has led me to many opportunities to meet and support individuals within the life cycle from infants to geriatrics; providing a means to make a difference in conditions concerning anxiety, depression, PTSD, adjusting to life changes, grief and loss, homelessness, suicidal ideation, facility placement planning, separation from the child welfare system, and navigating the Veteran Health Administration for resources and continuity of care. I enable clients to recognize the tools they possess to achieve their milestones. Our time together is all about you; where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. My communication style My communication style is positive, in-the-moment/present, non-judgmental, and open. By nature, I am a social bug and do laugh often, as I believe that laughter is a medicine. I generally sway to the positive but acknowledge that challenges exist and that our purpose for meeting is primarily due to a particular challenge or challenges. So as a client tells their story, I am listening for the tools they possess that will strengthen and empower them from within. My journey to mental healthcare My first love is Education, I was a Preschool Special Education Teacher before I became a Social Worker. I had the longest maternity leave ever and found that the door to teaching had closed. I investigated a field that I could transition into, and Social Work found me. I received a Master's in both fields and have had the pleasure of working with Transitioned-Aged Youth, Veterans (from early 20s to early 90s, Geriatric, Homeless, Inpatient, Residential Care, and Caregivers). While with the VA I noticed that the emphasis was heavily placed on the numbers of patients seen but not on the external and internal forces that can cause a toil on their self-care and well-being. I felt that I needed to find a way to spend more time supporting a client's ‘inner man’ (the battle between what the mind wants to do, and the feelings that say it’s impossible) more so than moving from assessment to assessment leaving limited time and opportunity to get to the nexus of the problem. This led me to seek an opportunity to become a therapist, independent of external forces related to matrixes and numbers, and more of a focus on one client at a time. I desire to expose, unearth, and empower a client to understand they have choices, they are the drivers of their destination, and they can obtain a sense of peace and/or acceptance in their life. My goals for you Any movement toward your goal(s) should be celebrated. It takes work to unearth and release things. I believe in the “faith without works is dead” principle. Because when you put in the work, attend and participate in your sessions, put principles to action in your daily activities, you can achieve your goals. I believe in the fluidity of the Client-Therapist relationship that if one intervention is not yielding the desired result, let’s talk about it and make some edits; You are the driver. My first session with you What should you expect during our first session together? Our first session would center around getting to know you better, discussing any recent changes in your life, and how these changes make you feel. This will provide me with a glimpse of your story, a better understanding of the reason why you have reached out for support, and also initiate our Client-Therapist partnership.