[ HAWAII AT WORK ]
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Scott Hashimoto is a state psychologist who works with children.
State worker is helping
kids overcome adversityI've been a psychologist with the Department of Health's Child and Adolescent Health Division at the Windward Family Guidance Center in Kaneohe for the past five years. I love my job because every day I get to make a positive difference in the classroom and for Hawaii's families.
I had been an attorney for 10 years, but once I got married and had kids -- I have four -- I wanted to focus more on families and children. I got my doctorate in psychology in 1995. I now work directly with children and families in crisis, so they can achieve their academic goals.
Scott Hashimoto
Position: PsychologistEmployer: State Department of Health
Degrees: Doctorates in law and psychology
Philosophy: "If a child's basic needs for love and self-esteem are not met, they are not able to reach their highest potential in school and in life."
I'm called in to assist the Department of Education once a child is considered a severe case. First, I work on assessment, taking into consideration the strengths and challenges facing the child. Then I help to plan treatment and therapy, reviewing progress and even creating intervention strategies. No matter how long it takes, my goal is to bring the child to a healthy, functioning level so that he or she can benefit from his or her education.
I had one case where a 5-year-old boy was not functioning well in school. As it turned out, his mother was having difficulty coping with being a single mom to three young children. After a few therapy sessions, we realized that the young boy had taken on the role of a father, often looking after siblings and comforting his mother when she would break down in tears. We worked on getting him to relinquish that role and focus on being a child. Today he and his family are doing much better.
I'm proud to be a part of a statewide network serving the psychological needs of kids. All of us members of the Hawaii Psychological Association have been working hard to make sure that these children in need do not slip though the cracks, that families who are finally making progress won't have services cut back or taken away completely. We're committed to maintaining success and keeping the momentum, one child at a time.
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