Lori Shinsato

Lori Shinsato is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker - LCSW - practicing in Hawaii with five years of clinical experience. She lists stress, anxiety, grief, self-esteem, career concerns, coping with life changes, relationship and family issues, sleep problems, depression, compassion fatigue, ADHD, and life purpose among her areas of focus.

She grew up in Hawaii and brings that local perspective into sessions. Her counseling style is calm and conversational. Lori describes her approach as person-centered and plans to listen first to understand what matters to each person.

In sessions she uses straightforward conversation to identify what feels hardest right now. She works with practical steps patients can try between meetings. She also adapts her approach based on what the client finds helpful, combining different methods when needed.

Her practice has a particular experience with aging and geriatric issues, caregiver stress, hospice and end-of-life counseling, and chronic illness concerns. She also focuses on communication problems, isolation and loneliness, workplace issues, and self-love.

Lori mentions enjoying museums, live theater, and hitting whatever target she is aiming at when she is not working. She describes herself as a Christian and notes community values such as humility, respect for different cultures, and family play a role in how she connects with people.

To begin, she asks clients to talk about what they want to change and what goals feel meaningful. She listens and adjusts her methods to what works for each person.

How Lori uses practical approaches online

She works with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness Therapy to address everyday problems. CBT focuses on spotting unhelpful thoughts and testing new ways of thinking and behaving to reduce stress and anxiety. Mindfulness Therapy teaches short practices for noticing thoughts and bodily signals, which can help with sleep, worry, and feeling overwhelmed.

Choosing which approach to use is a collaborative process. Lori listens to a client's goals, preferences, and what has or hasn’t worked before. Together they decide whether to try CBT, mindfulness exercises, motivational questions, or solution-focused steps and then adjust over time based on results and comfort.

Confirm the current session formats before booking so you know how meetings will take place. Online work can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy week, reduce travel time, and allow shorter check-ins when needed. Different formats can suit quieter surroundings, less screen time, or a quick midday session, and Lori will discuss practical scheduling and format choices when you start.