Meet Ingrid Nishimoto of Ingrid Nishimoto Therapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ingrid Nishimoto.

Hi Ingrid, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As a kid growing up in Burbank in the 80s and 90s, I heard and absorbed a lot of voices–fear from my overprotective, well-intentioned widowed mom, what to believe from my Korean church community, academic peer pressure from friends, what beauty looked like from Dawson’s Creek and Seventeen magazine. I was a shy kid, hiding and fearful of being seen. Humility was a virtue cultivated on many levels–cultural, familial, religious. I could-should-not draw attention to myself.

Though I did well in school, I struggled with imposter syndrome. Perhaps I faked it really well? What skills did I even have to offer this wide, impossibly comprehensible world? This came to a head when I was hospitalized in my senior year of high school. Diagnosed with a genetic cancer mutation that I had inherited from my father, who had died in his 30s, I was confronted with the direction of my life. Would I repeat my dad’s life, or could I steer my path differently? I embarked on a homeopathic treatment that stabilized my health enough to attend college. Even after graduation, I hesitated to chart a path–what could I actually do with my life?

After years of bopping around non-profits doing admin jobs, I realized I was continually drawn to social service/counseling jobs and therefore needed a requisite degree. Drawn to social justice work and an interdisciplinary lens, my social work jobs in community mental health opened my eyes to the sobering reality of helping unhoused folks stabilize with housing, health and mental health services. It was heartbreaking. Those who fell through the cracks because of their adverse childhood experiences, race, gender, sexual orientation, substance use, etc. I was disillusioned by the deficiencies in our systems to robustly support the most vulnerable, and how often individual providers were pressured to shoulder the burden. And while I loved holding therapeutic space for these clients, there was only so much depth we could plumb when they were trying to survive.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As a solo entrepreneur, I’ve definitely faced challenges on this road. Macro factors like changes in the economy and micro factors like my own health condition have made me realize that I need to step up as the CEO of my business. With my genetic cancer risk, I’ve had to take some pauses for treatments, and I’m grateful for the flexibility to do so according to my needs.

With the inevitable ups and downs of client flow and income, I’m continually grounding myself in the things I can control–sticking to a sustainable daily schedule and leaning on my community for accountability and support. Being a therapist can feel quite isolating, so I’ve initiated peer consult and co-working groups. It is so containing to be seen and witnessed in the many emotions that bubble up. As I sustain these habits, I trust that I’m doing good work and that the right fit clients will find me as I do the work of making myself findable.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My friend Mat had been encouraging me to leap to private practice, and after much preparation, I did in Jan 2023. I now offer individual mental health therapy in-person in Granada Hills and Northridge, and online throughout California, under Ingrid Nishimoto Therapy. It’s a full-circle moment to journey alongside incredible adults who’ve suffered trauma of many stripes (generational, religious, medical, etc.) and are courageous to show up each day to reclaim their voice.

I’ve learned and grown with my clients–they’ve challenged me with their honesty, vulnerability and creativity to try new things like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy. I’m focusing my practice to empower upwardly mobile millennial women in the northwest San Fernando Valley who are burned out trying to live by inherited scripts from family, faith, or health, to befriend their bodies and become protagonists of their story. In particular, I’m enjoying writing weekly blog posts to speak to the felt needs of these individuals, so they feel seen and less alone.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
So many have made it possible to get here. Impossible to name all but in particular is my husband Eric for trusting and giving me the space to experiment and grow with my practice. And of course, our dog Mochi, whose unfettered joy reminds me that every day is worth celebrating. I’m indebted to Tiffany McLain and the community from the program Lean In Make Bank for challenging me to charge fees that truly reflect a life that can thrive, and that give me the spaciousness to fully show up for clients.

As I build my practice, I’m excited to collaborate with other professionals serving the same clientele. It’s freeing up space to dream and think creatively about reaching people who will benefit the most. As I’ve grown in identifying and claiming my voice, I’m thankful that I get to center my work on empowering others to reclaim their voice and show up fully for their all-too-brief-yet-beautiful lives.

Pricing:

• $275: Individual Therapy (in-person or online)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ingridnishimototherapy.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chungingrid/
• Other: https://www.alignable.com/los-angeles-ca/ingrid-nishimoto-therapy