The emphasis of our practice is on early intervention in order to prevent and/or reduce both physical and mental illness. This includes the following:

• Chronic disease management (i.e. diabetes, chronic kidney disease, heart disease, hypertension, obesity, etc.)
• Weight loss
• Smoking cessation
• Stress management
• Depression
• Anxiety/Panic
• Improving sleep
• Pre-surgical Psychological Assessments (i.e. bariatric surgery)

WHAT WE DON’T DO

While there are exceptions, in general, we tend to refer patients to outside providers for the following:

• Severe Mental Illness (i.e. schizophrenia)
• Substance Disorders
• Eating Disorders
• Couples/Marital Counseling

WHAT WE WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT THERAPY

• Therapy is not for “crazy” people. It’s for people who are smart enough to realize that something in their life isn’t working out the way they want it to, and brave enough to do something about it.
• We want you to come to see us when things are just starting to get tough. Don’t wait till you feel you are in a crisis. Come when you think it’d be nice to have some help, even if it’s not yet necessary. When you do this, you prevent illness (physical and mental) and make it so much easier on yourself! We are all about helping people suffer less!
• The relationship you have with your therapist is vital to the success of therapy. If you don’t feel you connect with your therapist, please let us know! We understand we will not be the right fit for everyone and won’t take it personally. We want to help you get the help that is right for you, even when it is not us.
• We are not here to tell you what to do when it comes to your personal life. You and you alone will know what is best for you. We are here to help you figure out what it is you want and how that might be attainable.
• It’s not enough to just come to therapy, we need you to actively participate in it, both in and out of session. Spending one hour out of 168 hours (1 week) or 720 hours (1 month) won’t create meaningful change. We need you to apply things at home.
• Although we love seeing you, our goal is to get you healthy enough to not need to come in. Therapy doesn’t need to be a long-term commitment.
• We probably won’t be spending a whole lot of time analyzing your childhood (unless its clear it’s causing distress today). We tend to focus on how to make the here and now better.
• We won’t make you lay down on a couch.
• We don’t prescribe medications. However, we can help you to understand your medications and work with your Primary Care Provider, Pharmacist, and/or Psychiatrist to increase the likelihood that your medications are as effective as possible.
• In order to protect your confidentiality, we won’t come up and say hi or wave to you if we see you in public. If you initiate it, then we will, but your privacy is a top priority.
• We see our own therapists when we need it. Self-care is a vital part of being a good therapist. We can’t help others as effectively when we don’t take care of ourselves, and we hope that you too will see the value in self-care.
  

   

OUR PROVIDERS

Dr. Robin Miyamoto is a Clinical Psychologist who earned her Psy.D. from Argosy University and completed her clinical training at Tripler Army Medical Center with a specialty in Health Psychology/Behavioral Medicine. For the last 15 years she has been active in promoting training opportunities in primary care psychology, particularly in rural and underserved communities within the state of Hawai’i.  Her areas of interest include diabetes, renal disease, and cancer. She is a Past-President of the Hawaiʻi Psychological Association and a member of Nā Limahana O Lonopūhā Native Hawaiian Health Consortium. She recently joined the faculty at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine with the Departments of Native Hawaiian Health and Family Medicine and Community Health. Her practice with Lau Ola specializes in patients with diabetes, renal disease, liver disease, and cancer.