Learning to Befriend Your Inner Self

At Kokoro Inner Care Counselling, we believe that everyone has the ability to change and grow no matter their season of life. 'Kokoro' is a Japanese word (心) that translates to 'Heart' and can also refer to spirit, soul, mind, and emotion. When we take time to nurture our spirit and emotions, we work with, instead of fight against, our bo

At Kokoro Inner Care Counselling, we believe that everyone has the ability to change and grow no matter their season of life. 'Kokoro' is a Japanese word (心) that translates to 'Heart' and can also refer to spirit, soul, mind, and emotion. When we take time to nurture our spirit and emotions, we work with, instead of fight against, our bodies. We believe that the ability to understand, experience, and befriend our inner landscape (our body and nervous system) leads to mental and emotional well-being. Therapy can be a powerful way to safely address difficult emotions and begin to integrate the different parts of ourselves which leads to wholeness and flourishing.

My name is Karen Hoshino and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). I am a proud Maritimer and have been living in Squamish, BC for over 10 years. I work with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) North and West Vancouver Branch, and previously, worked with the Chopra Addiction & Wellness Centre and Sea to Sky Hospice. I liv

My name is Karen Hoshino and I am a Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC). I am a proud Maritimer and have been living in Squamish, BC for over 10 years. I work with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) North and West Vancouver Branch, and previously, worked with the Chopra Addiction & Wellness Centre and Sea to Sky Hospice. I lived in Japan for five years teaching English to high school and university students, and have extensive experience teaching English to new immigrants.  Thus, I bring a psycho-educational and cross-cultural lens to counselling. I am passionate about the outdoors, cold water swimming, and my part-time dog, Archie.

At Kokoro Inner Care Counselling, we integrate Polyvagal Theory with Eugene Gendlin's Focusing and the Felt Sense to  help clients understand how their nervous system works so they can safely acknowledge and experience their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We guide clients to access the body's wisdom to move through feeling stuck and ju

At Kokoro Inner Care Counselling, we integrate Polyvagal Theory with Eugene Gendlin's Focusing and the Felt Sense to  help clients understand how their nervous system works so they can safely acknowledge and experience their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. We guide clients to access the body's wisdom to move through feeling stuck and just 'surviving' to a space of wholeness, healing, and connection with self and others. I have personally benefited from this therapeutic approach in my own mental health journey, and have found healing and recovery by safely connecting with my inner self, and bringing curiosity and compassion to the inner life.