Hanako (Hana) Suzuki, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor at the College of Comprehensive Psychology, Ritsumeikan University, in Japan. She directs the Multicultural Research Laboratory, teaches courses, advises undergraduate and graduate thesis, and manages international programs at RU. She specializes in counseling psychology, especially in the area of multicultural counseling. Her research interests include the issues of diversity and inequity, intersectionality, mental health, and methodology in cross-cultural research. Her research work focuses on investigating inequality and mental health of marginalized populations, developing preventive interventions, promoting social justice-oriented and culturally sensitive counseling and career development programs, and re-defining research methods for cross-cultural/international research.
Hanako has received her BA in psychology from Boston University and MA in counseling psychology from Boston College in the US, and she has received her Ph.D. in medical sciences, with a focus on child development and behavioral science, from Kumamoto University in Japan. She is a recipient of the Research Fellowship for Young Scientists from the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (2009-2012).
Hanako is a Certified Public Psychologist, national-level licensure, and a Certified Clinical Psychologist, a certification issued by the Foundation of the Japanese Certification Board for Clinical Psychologists, in Japan. She has extensive experience working with international students, especially in outreach activities, preventive intervention, crisis intervention, psychoeducation, career development, and community building.
Hanako is currently a member of the Executive Board of Directors of the Japanese Psychological Association (2019-2023) and a member of the Committee for International Affairs in Psychology of the American Psychological Association (2021-2023). In the past, she has served multiple offices, which include a member of the Emerging Psychologist Program of the ICP2016 (2013-2016), a member of the Committee for International Affairs of the JPA (2017-2019), a secretary of the 83rd Annual Convention of the JPA (2018-2019), a co-chair of the International Section of the Society of Counseling Psychology in the APA (2018-2020), among others.