Japanese Counselling and Support Services 1.98

Hello, I am Mayumi. I established Japanese Counselling and Support Services last year. I am based in Wellington. The main services I offer cover face to face counselling, interpreting service for a medical setting and referral to health and support organizations. When I refer a client to another organization or service, their issues remain confidential making the referral process easier for the client. My services are available in Japanese (mother tongue), English (second language) and Chinese Mandarin (second language).

I set up my own service to support people who are suffering from personal issues and to provide them information about counselling services as well as to provide support to them in their use of other organizations. There are many support organizations in New Zealand and I believe most of them are supportive, educative and accessible.

In New Zealand, there are migrants, temporary workers, international students and long term visitors from overseas but we don't know how many of them know where to go when they encounter difficulties in their lives. Moreover, people who are suffering from mental illness, family violence or sexual abuse need to be supported as soon as possible but often lack information and understanding about health and support systems in New Zealand. This can make it difficult or make them hesitant to access these organizations.

Since moving to New Zealand from Japan in 2004, I have become aware of the lack of information in Japanese about counselling services in New Zealand and also the cultural gap regarding support systems between New Zealand and Japan and other parts of Asia. Therefore, the aim of Japanese Counselling and Support Services is to provide explanation about the differences in health and support services in Wellington and to provide a culturally appropriate support system for Japanese and other international people in New Zealand.

I network with different support organizations in New Zealand and provide their information in Japanese on my Facebook page. I provide this information in Japanese because Chinese newspapers in Wellington already have good coverage of this information. I hope people who read my Facebook page will find the information useful and encourage people suffering to seek help for their well being.

Thank you for reading about my services. If there are any questions or enquiries, please feel free to send me a message or email.