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Counseling, and Psychotherapy in OkinawaDoug Berger, M.D., Ph.D, English speaking psychiatrist and psychotherapist in Okinawa. Dr. Berger is an English and Japanese speaking American Board-Certified Psychiatrist therapist available for phone or Skype psychotherapy, and psychological counseling, for foreigners who live in Okinawa Japan. Dr. Berger is experienced as a psychotherapist in individual mental health counseling, marriage and couples counseling; particularly Japanese-Western couples, child and adolescent counseling, family therapy, and group psychotherapy in Japan. Dr. Berger speaks native-level Japanese and regularly conducts psychotherapy in Japanese for the local Japanese community. While located in Tokyo, with a deep understanding of the experience of living in Japan, Dr. Berger has found that effective therapy and counseling is possible via phone or skype. Dr. Berger is particularly experienced in the treatment of depression, please refer to the Counseling Tokyo: Depression & Anxiety Specialists page for more information. Dr. Berger also has considerable experience in the treatment of child and adolescent disturbances. Please refer to the Tokyo Child and Adolescent Counseling Service home page for information on the mental health care of children and adolescents in Tokyo. Further details on specific conditions can be seen in the description of case examples. Counseling ApproachDr. Berger strives to create a friendly and compassionate atmosphere in his counseling style that has an eclectic approach to psychotherapy. This means that a balance of the different major types of therapy (cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, supportive, group psychotherapy, and others) is employed to fit with what each individual requires in order to achieve the goals set in the counselling sessions. Sometimes an illness like severe depression or anxiety may require medication in order to allow talk therapy to jump-start. Dr. Berger has considerable experience in using psychiatric medications and keeps up to date with the many medications used in Western countries that are not yet available in Japan. Dr. Berger can provide you with information and recommendations regarding psychiatric medication if necessary, and Dr. Berger can arrange for you to have an on-line or phone meeting with a physician he works with in Tokyo. This physician can then post you a prescription for medications that Dr. Berger recommends, and you can use this prescription at a pharmacy in your area, and you can use the Japanese health insurance for the physician and drug costs. The Therapy Approach page has detailed descriptions of some of the therapies mentioned here. QualificationsDr. Berger is a graduate of New York Medical College where he obtained his Medical Doctor's (M.D.) degree. He then completed a 4-year residency program in psychiatry at the New York Medical College Department of Psychiatry and qualified as an American Board-Certified Psychiatrist (Certificate No. 34086). Dr. Berger's Board Certification in Psychiatry can be verified through the web site of the American Board of Medical Specialties (you first have to register to use this service, then enter the name as: Douglas Berger, in the search). Now based in Tokyo, Dr. Berger had served on the Faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry in New York as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry. Dr. Berger's Japanese qualifications include a Ph.D. in Medical Science from the University of Tokyo School of Medicine (Registration No.11965), received while at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine at Tokyo University. Dr. Berger also has many years of experience in Japan as a medical student, psychiatric researcher, and psychotherapist. Further profile details can be seen on the About Dr. Berger page. Contact Information
E-mail inquiries may be sent using the E-mail Submission Form or click the photo at the page top. Please provide your telephone numbers (home, work, and cellular) if you send an e-mail. All inquiries will be replied to promptly either by Dr. Berger or one of his associates. Please call if you do not receive a reply within 2 days, as the server may be down on occasion.
Therapy hours are by appointment and include mornings and evenings Monday through Thursday, and mornings on Friday, Saturday, and national holidays (all Japan local time). Click here: Practice Details for further information..
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Telephone Inquiries regarding counseling and psychotherapy, or for advice on psychiatric medications, can be addressed to Dr. Berger at Tel: 03-3716-6624 (+81-3-3716-6624 outside of Japan). Long distance/International professional phone or Skype consultation is also available. Please leave a message on the answering machine, most calls will be returned within a few hours, up to 10:45pm, unless requested otherwise. Also, please note that as your call may be forwarded to a mobile phone, you may need to wait a few seconds for transfer, and because of this there is no fax function.