About Us

Dr. Nakajima was born in Lubbock, Texas, grew up in a suburb of Washington D.C., and lived in Tokyo and Osaka Japan for several years.

 

During the years of living in Washington D.C., many of his friends came from different countries, and they were suffering from life transitions and cultural differences. At that time there were not many places where they could get help, and that's when he decided he wanted to be a psychologist.

 

He began working with patients in New York before coming to California for his own APPIC internship. During the internship, he earned a lot of experiences in a community mental health services and continued working there for a few more years after the internship.

 

He fell in love with the sunny climate of California and has been here ever since. 

 

He is a Japanese-English Bilingual/Bicultural Psychologist.

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Dr. Nakajima received his Ph.D. at the Award* winning Combined Clinical & School Psychology Doctoral program at Hofstra University, New York. At Hofstra, Dr. Nakajima, mentored by Dr. Howard Kassinove, Ph.D., ABPP, became an expert working with anger issues.  He is a Diplomate of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (#01789). 

 

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He currently supervises staff psychologists and APPIC** psychological interns in conducting psychotherapy and psychological evaluations at the Child and Family Guidance Center. 

 

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He has received training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, the Unified Protocol, and is Dialectical Behavior Therapy informed.  He has made many presentations over the course of his career including at the United Nations on Mental Health Stigma.

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*(2007 Outstanding Training Program Award, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy

** Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers.  All prospective psychologists participate in this National program to intern at a clinical site for 1year.

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