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Psychologist Ayako Ishida Talks about Mental Health in Japan

Amélie Geeraert
Kokoro Media
Published in
21 min readMar 1, 2024

Ayako Ishida has been a psychologist in Japan for eight years. Highly motivated in helping others, she works as a school counselor and as a clinical psychologist at a hospital. Through helping her clients on a personal level, she is also a witness of social issues and changes in Japan’s society. In 2020, on top of dealing with the consequences of the pandemic, Japan has seen its children’s suicide rate hit a record high. Read on to learn about Mrs. Ishida’s take on these events, what her job consists of, and the current situation regarding mental health in Japan.

Being a Psychologist in Japan

Can you explain the path that has led you to become a psychologist?

When I was a university student, at first, I was not interested in becoming a psychologist. Originally, I wanted to become a researcher in social psychology because I wanted to work inside a university, and I had some interest in this field. Later, I realized being a researcher is a hard job that requires solid knowledge of statistics.

The main reason I started wanting to become a psychologist, though, comes from the fact I had to study many aspects of psychology. It led me to want to work directly with clients. My university had a great clinical psychology department, with many teachers who…

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Kokoro Media
Kokoro Media

Published in Kokoro Media

Exploring the heart of Japan through people, places, and experiences.

Amélie Geeraert
Amélie Geeraert

Written by Amélie Geeraert

Living in Japan since 2011. I love interviewing inspiring people.

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