Hiroko Makiyama, LCSW

Hiroko Makiyama is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) practicing in California with ten years of professional experience. She focuses on supporting people facing addictions, stress, anxiety, relationship and family challenges, intimacy-related concerns, self-esteem struggles, career decisions, coping with life changes, and compassion fatigue. Her additional focus includes work with drug and alcohol addiction, drawing on practical, evidence-based approaches to help clients build skills and navigate recovery.

Hiroko approaches therapy with the belief that each person is the expert of their own story and that existing strengths can be mobilized to overcome current challenges. She emphasizes a collaborative working relationship, helping individuals identify goals, develop coping tools, and make meaningful changes at a pace that fits their lives. Taking the first step toward a more fulfilling and happier life often requires courage, and she offers steady support throughout that process.

Hiroko offers services in English and is licensed in California as an LCSW, which denotes specialized training and professional qualification to provide clinical social work and psychotherapy services.

Evidence-Based Techniques and Online Care

Hiroko Makiyama uses evidence-based therapeutic techniques that focus on building practical skills to manage cravings, stress, and anxiety. These approaches teach concrete coping strategies, emotional regulation tools, and relapse prevention skills that can help people navigating addiction and high-stress periods.

She also applies evidence-based methods that address relationship patterns and communication, helping clients work through intimacy concerns, family dynamics, and relationship conflicts. This work often centers on identifying interaction patterns, improving communication, and strengthening relational skills to support healthier connections.

Choosing the right therapeutic approach is a collaborative process. Hiroko works with each person to assess needs, goals, and preferences, and together they determine which techniques best fit the situation and evolve the plan as progress is made.

Online therapy offers flexible ways to engage in this work - through video calls, phone sessions, live chat, or text-based messaging - making it easier to fit therapy into a busy life, maintain continuity during transitions, and access consistent support from licensed professionals.