PhD in Psychology
MA in Counseling Psychology
MA in Existential-Phenomenological Humanistic Psychotherapy
BA in Psychology
Takashi’s counseling style is characterized by thorough non-judgmental listening that is rooted in humanistic phenomenological and Jungian (Analytical Psychology) tradition. He is a licensed clinical psychologist in Japan and holds PhD in psychology (research). Through his ten years of clinical experience, he worked with all age groups with diverse cultural backgrounds and themes in community settings, psychiatric clinic, counseling institute, and employee assistance programs.
Providing a safe and comfortable space is what Takashi practices for the clients to find their subtle voices for self-actualization. He primarily works with the adult population exhibiting different themes such as neurodevelopmental disorder, neurosis, depression, and existential crisis. As a clinical psychologist, he is firmly grounded in a thorough listening tradition that has been consistent throughout his training as a client-centered, existential-phenomenological, and Jungian therapist. By giving psychological space to the subtle inner voice, he helps clients overcome constant self-criticism. In addition to conventional verbal counseling, for clients who prefer different channels of communication such as kids and adolescents, he practices a non-verbal approach such as play therapy and sand play to access to their inner experiences. For precise diagnosis and checking the progress of the therapy, he is also well versed with various personality assessment tools for adults.
Takashi devoted his career searching for the mechanism behind self-actualization. The search led him to pursue psychology from many different angles including qualitative and quantitative psychology in both clinical and research domains. As a science practitioner, he studies how human processes information in rigorous lab settings and strives to translate various research insights into practical forms which can be used for people’s psychological wellbeing.
To “complete” the psychological cycle of listening and expression, Takashi remains very active in his songwriting and performing endeavours. He personally believes that it is vital for the therapist to strive for his/her own self-actualization.
Takashi has published multiple studies investigating flow, attention, brain, and autism.
Publications
Kozhevnikov, M., Li, Y., Wong, S., Obana, T., & Amihai, I. (2018). Do enhanced states exist? Boosting cognitive capacities through an action video-game. Cognition, 173, 93–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2018.01.006
Obana, T. (2007). Phenomenological Psychology. In K. Wakashima (Ed.), Pragmatism of Social-Structuralism. Kaneko Shobo.
Obana, T., Lim, S. W. H., & Asplund, C. L. (2020). Surprise-induced Deafness: Unexpected Auditory Stimuli Capture Attention to the Detriment of Subsequent Detection [Preprint]. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/evfxa
Wong, T. Y. Q., Yap, M. J., Obana, T., Asplund, C. L., & Teh, E. J. (2021). Brief Report: Emotional Picture and Language Processing in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04920-1
Wu, E. X. W., Liaw, G. J., Goh, R. Z., Chia, T. T. Y., Chee, A. M. J., Obana, T., Rosenberg, M. D., Yeo, B. T. T., & Asplund, C. L. (2020). Overlapping attentional networks yield divergent behavioral predictions across tasks: Neuromarkers for diffuse and focused attention? https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116535
