Kirk Akahoshi, Life Coaching & Psychotherapy — Counselor in Chinatown, CA

I have never in my entire life had any therapy or counseling session that I felt was beneficial or had a positive impact on me, until I met Kirk. As soon as I walked in I felt at ease and my skepticism quickly dissipated. I honestly didn't have a clear reason or focus on why I went to see Kirk, I just knew that there were things that I was deeply troubled and inhibited by. Within minutes of Kirk's intent listening and thoughtful prodding, we were not only able to pinpoint the things I was struggling with, but arrive at conclusions and solutions that I would have never thought of on my own. Kirk helped me challenge negative ideas and beliefs that were so deeply rooted that I didn't even know they were there, and helped guide me to refocus on better and more positive beliefs that uplift me instead of crippling me. If you are considering seeing Kirk and you are sitting on the fence, I say go for it. It could change your life.

If I were to describe Kirk I would say passionate, clever, compassionate and rooted. I first met Kirk at one of his workshops he offered for free which is pretty cool. The name of the workshop was called, "How to go from a soul sucking job to a fulfilling career." I found Kirk's workshops to be different than others. Some workshops will teach you how to use certain job search tools. They will also tell you first have to decide what it is you want to do in life, where you want to be, but sometimes being told "decide what you want" is simply not enough. Sometimes for people the HOW to decide what it is you want is a challenge! They tell you to decide what it is you love, what you want to do, which are important questions but they don't give you exercises or activities to get to the heart of when it is you FEEL most fulfilled or creative. These activities get to the heart of finding what it is you want! Kirk's workshop include just this. He incorporates mindfulness activities into the workshop that are essential to determine from a feeling perspective what are the environments, the activities, the types of technical work one actually enjoys doing. It is very easy to tell a person to figure out what it is you want, but some people do not even know how to figure out what that is. You can actually have a job you "want" but it might not fulfill you at a spirit and soul level from which passion and creativity are born. The main points I got from Kirk's workshop were to evaluate in my own life not only if I feel happy with the company I work for (which I do), but do I feel fulfilled in the actual work environment, does the company support the type of lifestyle I want, do I feel inspired and creative when I am there? I was left with these types of questions from Kirk's workshop that made me realize some jobs I had been thinking I wanted because I felt I "should" want them. Perhaps I was already in a moment to have all these things "click" easily for me, but I have not been to many "find the job you love" workshops that have a primary focus on the mindfulness and feeling aspect of the process which is so important. In addition to the free workshop, Kirk offered participants a free session. Just from that one hour session, I feel he got down right to what has truly been in my way in terms of authentically evaluating where I am and where I want to be. I highly recommend Kirk : )

I met with Kirk for a consultation, which he offers free of charge. The session usually runs about 30-minutes but I didn't feel as though he was rushing me or trying to make a hard sell of his services. What I did feel was a high level of comfort in opening up to him about my current situation. He took the time to listen and offer attainable next steps as I embark upon a change in career. The passion Kirk has for coaching is obvious. He offers a genuine experience in a time when people need to be heard the most. I would highly recommend Kirk's services to anyone who is at a crossroads in their life or career. He will take the job of steering you in the right direction very seriously.

The fact that Kirk is both a therapist and a coach sets him apart from most other people in his field. He has so many resources and tools at his disposal he should call himself Batman! Kidding aside, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone with the breadth of experience, warmth of approach or integrity that Kirk has . Kirk came to my rescue when I was experiencing overwhelm from the pressures of motherhood and work. I was finding it hard to keep my head above water with my endless business to-do list, along with guilt about not spending time with my family and frustration at not having time for self-care. Through just a few conversations, Kirk not only uncovered some interesting reasons why I was feeling the way I did, but also gave me some practical and powerful tools to use whenever I noticed myself getting into the stress zone. He also took it upon himself to follow up and see if the suggestions he gave were working for me, something I didn't expect and am very grateful for. So obviously I'm now a fully realized human being, right? Not in the slightest - and that's the other great thing about Kirk. He meets you where you are, and makes working with him fun and light, not at all like those crazy intense "shrink" sessions you see in the movies (though I have no doubt he would be really capable of handling those moments as well). I always felt that he was sincerely and deeply wanting to be of service in any way he could. Which is a rare and beautiful thing to receive from another human being. Thanks again Kirk

I have attended several conference workshops that Kirk has moderated. Kirk has a good approach to his clients in that he seems genuine and really helps you become aware of your problems and what the next steps you should take care. The reason why Kirk is one of the best at what he does is the fact that he's able to quickly put himself in your shoes. By doing this, he's able to ask the right questions and have you do the right activities that will allow you yourself to find the solution to your issue. Kirk isn't about just telling you what your problem is and what the answer is.. Rather, he leads you down the path to figuring it out on your own. This is huge, as often the one thing that holds us back the most is ourselves. Only by figuring out our problems on our own (with Kirk's help, of course) will be accept the solution. I have never asked Kirk a question and have him respond, "I don't know". Kirk always seems to know the right things to say and ask. Believe me, you'll be doing yourself a favor if you use his services. After a few sessions with him, you'll find yourself on the road to becoming a happier individual.

One of the reasons why Kirk is great is because he is able to really center you in the present moment. I did a workshop with him recently at a conference and he guided us through a critical thinking exercise that had us really try to analyze why we made a certain choice that we regret and what we can learn from it today. The workshop added some great insight to how I view myself and it was very productive. However his guidance didn't stop there. In a more informal setting he was talking to me and my girlfriend. He proceeded to ask the both of us questions about our relationship and pretty much asked us why we loved each other so much. It is important to ask these questions because sometimes you and your significant other might be on different pages. He was genuinely interested in how the two of us viewed our relationship. He even says to me that he is still learning and developing his own teachings. This I feel marks a true good teacher and guide. Kirk I would like to thank you for your time and for actually getting to a very personal level with me. It meant a lot and I look forward to taking more of your workshops.

Kirk is an amazing therapist, coach, and person in general! Before speaking with Kirk, I had a lot of anxiety and some internal conflict around the direction I wanted to take my business. I was experiencing challenges with being able to trust my intuition and fearlessly move forward with a decision to take my business to the next level. After having just a few sessions with Kirk, he helped me remove those challenges so I could confidently make the next big step in my business and renew my faith in myself. Now, I no longer have anxiety or internal conflict around this issue, and every time I find myself tempted to go into self-doubt, I utilize the powerful techniques that he taught me to get myself out of that mindset. Kirk is awesome and I would totally recommend him to anyone!

While getting to know Kirk and his work (in order to know how I might recommend him and refer others to him) I found his professionalism to be as profound as his care. Kirk's dedication to assisting is equal to his abilities. I appreciate Kirk's attention to my goals and enjoyed his gentle processes when I had a particular issue bubbling up.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Kirk the other day and it is clear that he is incredibly knowledgeable and skilled in his profession as a life coach. I got the sense that he is very insightful in regards to his clients, and he is able to help them determine a clear plan or path based on their specific, individual needs. I would definitely recommend Kirk to anyone looking for life coaching or help transitioning through a quarter life crisis.

Kirk has been leading a workshop at a conference the last three years I have attended. He does a excellent job of mixing Buddhism and his knowledge from his MFT background. He is great at leading workshops, and is very easy to talk to and understand. The amount of understanding he has taught me of my self is greatly appreciated!