A smiling woman with short dark hair, wearing a light gray T-shirt, jewelry, and dark pants, sitting cross-legged on a gray tufted sofa in a room with a light-colored wall and a mirror

Mizuho "Miho" Kanazawa LCAT, BCT/RDT, LPC

Licensed Creative Arts Therapist · Drama Therapist · Licensed Professional Counselor

An abstract circular brushstroke design with an off-white color on a black background.

About

I am a Japanese psychotherapist with over 27 years of experience. I am passionate about working with persons who feel they are between cultures. My approach focuses on deep listening with compassion and self-empowerment for my clients.

I believe that the most precious gift you can give to yourself is relationships: relationship with yourself, and relationships with others whom you love and want to care about.

Working in therapy is a courageous act. I feel privileged to be a witness and a guide of your journey of self-acceptance, discovery, connection, inspiration, and empowerment at this point of your life.

Prioritizing what truly matters in your life and tuning in to what you feel and want can sometimes become surprisingly confusing. Especially when you have been taking care of others, adapting to different cultures and situations, or holding many roles at once.

I offer a space where you can slow down, organize your thoughts, and reconnect with a strong, steady core within yourself.

A circular, beige, brushstroke-style Zen enso circle on a black background.

My belief and mission

As multicultural individuals, you carry resilience, depth, and a unique richness. Yet, in the midst of life’s demands, it’s common to feel there’s no safe space to share your story, explore your experiences, or reflect on your life without judgment.

These moments can leave us feeling small, unseen, or ashamed.

I honor the journey you’ve taken to understand and nurture yourself.

My mission is to create a supportive, growth-focused space where you can feel safe to explore your thoughts and emotions, connect with your strengths, and begin to cultivate patterns that bring confidence, clarity, creativity, and joy into your life.

A black and beige circular brush stroke creating an incomplete circle.

Qualifications

I combine humanistic and embodied therapy approaches, such as:

These approaches help you explore your feelings, strengthen relationships, and connect more deeply with yourself.

Licenses & Credentials

New York State Licensed Psychotherapist · Creative Arts Therapist

Pennsylvania State Licensed Professional Counselor

New Jersey State Licensed Professional Counselor

Board Certified Trainer / Registered Drama Therapist, North American Association of Drama Therapy

Education

B.A. in Psychology, The New School University
M.A. in Drama Therapy, New York University

Personal Life

Married
Mother of Two
Drinks green tea every morning :)


Simple black and beige circular brushstroke representing an Enso symbol.

Creative & Teaching Experience

Professional Improvisational Theater Trainer / Actor / Director
https://www.nyspt.org/

Trainer for NYU Playback Theater Club
https://steinhardt.nyu.edu/programs/drama-therapy/student-experience

Lecturer and Trainer in Somatic Experiential Psychotherapy for Master's-level counselor training programs and international conferences https://acreativepresence.com/

Certified Infant Massage Educator, Infant Massage USA


A circular brushstroke in beige color on a black background, resembling an enso or a Zen circle.

Work Experience

  • Private Practice in New York and New Jersey since 2004

  • Child Life Specialist and Drama Therapist at Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ

  • Drama Therapist / Psychotherapist at NY Staten Island St. Vincent Hospital Day Treatment Program for the mentally ill (adolescents, adults, elderly)


Hand-drawn black ink circle with uneven edges on a black background.

I Believe —

  • Humor is healing

  • Blaming leads nowhere

  • The body has a connection with the mind

  • Our life manifests and blossoms from a sense of freedom, acceptance, and joy—not from fear.

"
Miho taught me how to praise my children effectively. I felt she understood my struggle and it was so great that I stopped blaming myself for my children's negative behavior.  Our relationship (My daughter and I) is better now because of the work I did with her.  

— Satisfied client (Mother of a 6 year old)