Shoko Kasanami

Shoko Kasanami is an AASW social worker with four years of hands-on experience. She moved to Australia from Canada and completed a Master of Social Work. Shoko draws on her own life experiences to empathise with people facing depression, anxiety, addictions and low self-esteem.

She has worked in child protection and with organisations that support offender rehabilitation. Those roles gave her experience with complex backgrounds and difficult life transitions. This shapes how she listens and responds in sessions.

Shoko aims to create a calm, non-judgemental space where people can talk about feelings and challenges. She focuses on practical steps that help people cope day to day. Conversations are straightforward and paced to each person’s needs.

Her areas of interest include stress, mood concerns, social anxiety and body image. She also supports people dealing with guilt, shame, life purpose questions and feelings of isolation or loneliness. Sessions cover short-term problem solving and deeper emotional work depending on what someone needs.

Shoko speaks English and Japanese. Outside work she enjoys motorcycles, skateboarding and music. She describes herself as someone who will listen, walk alongside you, and help you find small changes that make life more manageable.

Approaches that guide online work

Shoko uses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Narrative Therapy alongside solution-focused ideas. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy looks at how thoughts, feelings and actions connect and teaches practical techniques to manage anxiety, low mood and unhelpful behaviours. Narrative Therapy helps people step back from their problems and see the story they tell about themselves, which can shift shame, guilt and identity concerns.

Choosing the right approach is a shared task. She discusses goals and preferences in early sessions and adjusts methods as needs change. That means sessions might focus on short-term solutions one week and on changing personal stories the next, depending on what helps most.

If you are considering online therapy, confirm the current session options before booking. This therapist's profile does not list specific formats, so checking available formats is recommended. Online sessions can make it easier to fit therapy into a busy day, allow shorter check-ins when time is limited, and remove travel time. A practical conversation about what you need will determine how best to work together.