MENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY BOARD
The Changing Tides Mental Health Advisory Board is composed of mental health professionals who specialize in a variety of fields: psychotherapy, psychiatry, clinical social work, etc. The Advisory Board uses their background and expertise to provide Changing Tides with valuable knowledge, insight, and resources.
Paige Asawa, PhD, ATR-BC, LMFT (SHE/HER/HERS)
Dr. Asawa is a licensed marriage and family therapist, an artist, art therapist, author, educator, and Clinical and Academic Director for the USC Institute for Arts in Medicine, Keck Medicine of USC. Dr. Asawa has been engaged in the therapeutic and arts communities for nearly 30 years, publishing, presenting and teaching both nationally and internationally. After completing her master’s degree in Marriage & Family Therapy with Specialization in Clinical Art Therapy at LMU she developed a private practice with emphasis on trauma-focused treatment and family art therapy, which she still maintains.
Michelle Furuta, MD (she/her/hers)
Dr. Furuta received her Bachelor’s in Psychology at UC Berkeley, attended medical school at the Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and completed residency training in Psychiatry at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She has a private practice in psychiatry in Torrance where she sees teens, adults, and geriatric patients and was nominated by colleagues as a "SuperDoctor" for the fourth time in 2019. Dr. Furuta also supervises residents at Harbor-UCLA and is a clinical instructor at UCLA in the Department of Psychiatry.
Teryn Hara, LCSW (she/her/hers)
Teryn Hara, LCSW, received her Master of Social Work from CSULA in 2018 and her License in Clinical Social Work in 2021. She currently works for Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health as a Psychiatric Social Worker on the Psychiatric Mobile Response Team. In her free time, Teryn especially enjoys participating in and volunteering for mental health-related community events in Los Angeles and her hometown, Sacramento, California.
Koko Nishi, Psy.D. (she/her/hers)
Dr. Koko Nishi is a licensed psychologist providing mental health services to the students of San Diego State University. She co-founded (along with SDSU alumna Kathy Nguyen) the (AAPI)phany workshop series, a program that addresses the intersection of Asian American identity and mental health. As a third generation Japanese-American, Koko is passionate about working with diverse and underserved populations, as well as creating programs that raise awareness and promote resources to help reduce mental health stigma, particularly within the Asian American community.
Agnes Regeczkey, MFT, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Agnes Regeczkey, LMFT, PhD, and psychoanalyst, works with children, adolescents, and adults in Palos Verdes, California. She is the director of BriteMinds Learning Center and is continuing her research and training as a Clinical Associate for Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis at the New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles.
Matthew Shima, LMFT (he/him/his)
Matthew Shima, LMFT, is a psychotherapist, trauma- and resiliency-informed yoga teacher, meditation facilitator, and artist who is dedicated to serving individuals, couples, and families through his private practice, Shima Therapy. He uses a creative relational approach integrated with present-moment awareness and somatic techniques to aid his clients in cultivating compassion, empowerment, joy, and connection.