“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” MLK Jr.
All our clients get here from different walks of life. So do all counselors. Azusa is no exception. She left her hometown of Kyoto, Japan, reached Portland in search of herself and in pursuit of her dreams, and found strong purpose and astonishing passion in working with problem gamblers.
Azusa is the very first native Japanese person who is a Certified Gambling Addiction Counselor (by ACCBO). Azusa provides bilingual/bicultural counseling, prevention and outreach – focusing on Asian communities – and also an active member of Oregon Asian Problem Gambling Advisory Committee. This Committee meets to work towards the goals of increaseing awareness of problem gambling among the Asian/ Asian American populations, and to make education and treatment more accessible.
Just take the first step; by creating a genuine and collaborative relationship with individual clients, Azusa relies on the conversation to get at the truth of steps to be taken.