Masako Suzuki, PLLC
My name is Masako (pronounced Maa-sah-koh, she/her) and I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Registered Play Therapist. I incorporate Synergetic Play Therapy (SPT) combined with Psychodynamic approach to treat clients with trauma, life transitions, anxiety/depression, and relational conflict.
I strongly believe that play therapy is not limited to only children, but it also can be effective for adults in coping with trauma, stress, grief, and neurodivergent challenges.
Navigating the world as a bilingual individual is a complex journey—filled with the joys of cultural richness and the challenges of constantly feeling like an outsider while sometimes being able to pass as white.
Being an immigrant in the U.S., I have faced profound psychological obstacles that were not apparent to me while living in Japan as a member of the dominant racial group. I have come to understand that ignorance can be a form of privilege, shielding those in positions of power from recognizing the inequalities and injustices that pervade our society.
Drawing from my own journey as a Japanese individual living in the U.S., I now use my professional platform to advocate for and support marginalized communities.
In my personal time, I enjoy traveling, flower arranging (Sogetsu school), and spending down time with family and friends.
- BA in Philosophy with a minor in Gender and Women’s Studies – University of Colorado Denver
- MA in Counseling –Regis University
- Colorado License LPC#14223
- Registered Play Therapist #T4797
- Certified Synergetic Play Therapist
- Certified AutPlay Therapist
Cultural Resume:
- I am a first-generation immigrant to the United States, having moved as an adult from Japan in 1995.
- Bilingual - fluent in both English and Japanese
- Bicultural with a strong background in both Japanese and American cultures. Over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural communication, negotiation, and relationship building in business and family.
- I have the lived experience of being in a blended family with 5 children.
- I have gained professional experience working in diverse environments such as government, medical, and nonprofit organizations.
- I have the unique experience of being a minority in the United States and a part of the dominant racial group in Japan.
- My privilege as an educated, English-speaking, able-bodied, petite person of average weight, who is cisgender, heterosexual, neurotypical, and grew up with middle-class parents who remain married.
- Suicide, alcoholism, ADHD, mood disorders, sexual trauma, and gender-based violence run in my family.
