Shiho Murakami, LICSW, MD, LCSW-C

Shiho Murakami is a licensed social worker who helps people manage stress from family conflict, trauma, parenting, and LGBT-related concerns. She speaks English and Japanese and draws on six years of clinical experience in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Shiho aims to create a respectful and compassionate atmosphere for people who want practical change.

Her approach is shaped by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-informed methods. Sessions focus on understanding thoughts and behaviors, building coping skills, and testing new ways of handling difficult situations. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people clarify values, and Attachment-Based ideas to look at relational patterns.

Shiho adapts conversations and plans to each person’s needs. She emphasizes clear, doable steps you can practice between sessions. The work often includes skill-building, reflection, and problem-solving tailored to current life challenges.

Clients can expect straightforward talk and actionable homework rather than long theory lectures. Shiho views the therapeutic relationship as a partnership where goals are set together. Her style aims to empower people to make small changes that add up over time.

She holds the credential LICSW, as well as MD and LCSW-C. Shiho offers appointments by video call, phone, live chat, or text-based messaging, and she can explain those options when you begin the matching process.

How Shiho uses online therapy and focused approaches

Shiho blends Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to help people address current problems and clarify what matters to them. CBT involves noticing thought and behavior patterns, testing new actions, and practicing concrete skills to reduce distress and improve functioning. ACT helps people name personal values and take committed steps toward those values even when difficult emotions arise.

Attachment-Based Therapy also informs sessions when relationship patterns are a central concern. That approach looks at how early and current relationships shape expectations and behaviors, and it supports building healthier ways of relating. Shiho treats the choice of method as collaborative and will help you decide which approach fits your goals and preferences during early sessions.

Online therapy is offered via video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to give flexibility. Video allows a fuller conversation and visual cues, phone works well when bandwidth is limited or a shorter check-in is needed, live chat can be useful for focused problem-solving, and text messaging supports ongoing coaching and quick check-ins between sessions. These options make it easier to fit therapy around work, caregiving, and daily life while trying different approaches together.