Matthew Shima, LMFT

Matthew Shima (he/him), M.A., B.F.A., Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (CA#113018, HI#718).

In Japanese, my last name means “island.” Fittingly, I am based on the tropical island of Maui, Hawai’i and frequent the island country of Japan. I am a psychotherapist serving residents of California, Hawai’i, and Japan.

As a multiethnic Japanese American I feel at home across the Pacific. I’ve spent time in various parts of the world and have become well versed in crossing oceans, in crossing cultures, and in bridging gaps. As I move through the world I have the experience of both fitting in nowhere and fitting in everywhere.  Living cross-culturally has added to my flexibility, my ability to tolerate ambiguity, and feeling comfortable in the space between.  In Japanese we say, aimai.  I have grown to understand my identity as ever flowing and dynamic.  Through this experience my life has come to be about creating a sense of place and belonging, aiding connection and harmony, and cultivating compassion and meaning.

What is your story?

Approach to Therapy

My aim is to support you right in the middle of whatever you are going through, to hold your experience with kindness and care.

Much of the time our mental and emotional wounds occur in relationship.  Healing from these types of wounds also happens in relationship.  Therapy is a very special and unique relationship which supports this healing process. 

A main focus of our work will be developing and expanding your capacity for awareness.  Awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, facilitating clarity on your hopes & fears, likes & dislikes, strengths & resources, and relational patterns. The more we can develop awareness of how you relate to your own experience and to others, the more we can grow an attitude of acceptance of yourself exactly as you are. This environment is what can allow change to happen naturally on its own.

We will use a creative and holistic approach of collaborative dialogue and experiential exercises to develop awareness, cultivate compassion, and reestablish connection. To further engage with the therapy process outside of our sessions, I will often offer practices to experiment with to help you deepen your exploration and growth.

Special Focus

  • Helping Professionals (therapists, social workers, educators…)

  • Creative Professionals (designers, musicians, directors, creators…)

  • AAPI Community

  • Those who find themselves “in-between” (Multiethnic, multicultural, intercultural, cross-cultural, 1st/2nd gen immigrants and beyond…)

  • Spirituality, Existential Concerns

  • Relationships

  • Anxiety, Burnout

  • Depression

Select Education & Certifications

  • M.A., Marriage and Family Therapy, Trauma Studies, School of Cultural and Family Psychology, Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, CA

  • B.F.A., Program in Art, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), Valencia, CA

  • Relational Gestalt Therapy, certification candidate, Pacific Gestalt Institute, Los Angeles, CA

  • Community Resiliency Model & Trauma Resiliency Model, Trauma Resource Institute, Claremont, CA

  • EMDR Trained, EMDR International Association

  • Integrative Psychotherapy Trauma Program Certification, Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, Fairfield University, CT

Affiliations

  • Pacific Gestalt Institute - Assistant Faculty

  • American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists - Clinical Fellow

  • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists - Member

  • Yoga Alliance - Registered Yoga Teacher

  • Changing Tides (Little Tokyo Service Center) - Mental Health Advisory Board

  • Southern California Counseling Center - Consultant and Trainer

Services & Fees

  • Relationship Therapy - $250 per 45 minute session

  • Individual Therapy - $225 per 45 minute session

Languages

  • English

  • Japanese (conversational)

Locations

Online therapy for residents of California, Hawai’i, & Japan.

When I’m Not Doing Therapy…

I’m probably surfing, hanging at the beach, exploring Maui hikes and waterfalls, reading, drinking coffee, learning something on YouTube, trying every ramen shop in Tokyo, soaking in onsen, watching the entire collection of Marvel movies, studying bitcoin, on an airplane headed somewhere, meditating, listening to punk rock or Kpop, looking for deals at Costco, cruising in my truck with all the windows down blasting island reggae…

somewhere on Oahu…

playing and exploring in Tokyo

resetting in fresh water, Maui