Ann Yabusaki
Ann S. Yabusaki, PhD, LMFT, is a licensed psychologist and marriage and family therapist who was born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii. She specializes in working with families, adolescents, and substance use disorders by using a cultural lens. She is also certified in the treatment of alcohol and other chemical dependencies.
Throughout her career, Ann has held various leadership positions such as faculty, training director, dean, and president of schools of psychology. She co-developed an accredited doctoral program in psychology that focused on culture in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has trained multiethnic/multilingual counselors in California and Hawaii and has consulted with federal grantees of the Safe Schools Healthy Students initiative. She participated in writing Improving Cultural Competency TIP 59 (SAMHSA).
Ann's Story
In 2002, she developed a family therapy training program at the Coalition for a Drug-Free Hawaii to give students in master's and doctoral programs an opportunity for hands-on learning. She and her students provided family therapy to youths in family court for illegal use of alcohol and other drugs. She soon realized that despite her expertise, some youths and families were unresponsive to well-researched interventions.
This advocacy led her to learn about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and the need for community support for her clients. She co-founded the Hawaii Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Action Group in 2016, which is an all-volunteer group dedicated to preventing in-utero exposure to alcohol and building FASD-competent services in Hawaii.
Ann published her best-selling book, Letters from a Tiger Mom: A Protective Mother's Reflections on Parenting Strong-willed Children, in 2023. It is a tribute to her family, who taught her the meaning of life.
In her free time, Ann enjoys fishing and being in nature with her husband, Ken. Ann and Ken live in Hawaii.