About Us
Greeting
The Nagoya University Psychological Support and Research Center for Human Development was originally established as the Center for Developmental Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry in April 2001 and renamed in 2015. It has been engaged in research and practice on the human mind and how to provide support for families and society. Twenty years have passed since the establishment of the Center for Developmental Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, and Japanese society has undergone significant changes during this time. With these changes, the issues surrounding the mind have become more complex and diverse than ever as society’s interest in and importance of mental health issues have increased significantly. The Psychological Support and Research Center has collaborated not only with internal organizations (such as the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Graduate School of Medicine, and Student Support) but also with many external public organizations (such as Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City). In recent years, the center has expanded its international activities, including the development of assessment tools for developmental disorders and the training of specialists in Mongolia and Vietnam.
Based on our specialized knowledge, we will continue to contribute to the support of individuals with mental health problems, their families, and the society. We would appreciate your continued understanding and support of our activities.
April, 2023
Hitoshi Kaneko
Director, Psychological Support & Research Center for Human Development
Overall Summary and History
Nagoya University Psychological Support & Research Center for Human Development was established in April 2001 by combining psychology and other closely related fields for comprehensive studies on the psychological development and relevant problems in children with a view to providing practical support to them. In April 2015, the Center was renamed to its current name with the intention to upgrade its research and practical application.
The three divisions, Psychological Development & Family, Psychology-Society Interaction, and Clinical Support, were established in the Center, and these divisions work together for education, research and practical application. The Psychological Counseling Room was created in the Center to provide counseling and consultation services for problems pertaining to psychological development to the general public, in response to the needs of local communities.
The Counseling Room also serves as a practicum training facility for graduate students in the clinical psychologist training course.
Psychological Development & Family Division
The important factors behind the healthy psychological development of children are the family environment from after the time of fertilization and the family relationship after their birth. In this division, research is conducted on the family relationship in early stages that is important for healthy psychological development, and continuous practical support is provided in view of the children’s entire life. The research focuses on the psychological development and family environment surrounding it, especially the growth of high-risk infants, the kind of support for families that prevent child abuse and such support that assist children with developmental disorders.
Faculty Staff: NAGATA Masako, Ph.D. / KANEKO Hitoshi, Ph.D. / MITANI Mayu / TAKAHASHI Yoshiyuki, Ph.D. / SATO Yoshiaki, Ph.D. / KIDOKORO Hiroyuki, Ph.D.
Psychology-Society Interaction Division
This division mainly targets a variety of psychological issues of children in school age and adolescence such as school refusal, emotional disorders, developmental disorders, delinquency, etc. in order to clarify these problems and to provide practical support. Research is also carried out on the relationship between the psychological condition and the surrounding environment (group, society, age) to research a better environment for children’s mental health. Through a joint, comparative research with our overseas partners, we study the mental health of children living in Japanese culture and society from an international standpoint.
Faculty Staff: NOMURA Asuka, Ph.D. / MOGARI Azusa / NOMURA Kenji, Ph.D. / YOKOYAMA Kana, Ph.D. / ITO Taku
Clinical Support Division
Faculty members in this division mainly provide consultation to students. In addition to providing support to our students, we cooperate with the Center for Student Counseling to research on clarification and possible support of the emotional issues experienced by adolescents. The division has been recently conducting the study of in-school support system for students with developmental disorders to create a better environment for their mental health.
Faculty Staff: SUZUKI Kenichi, Ph.D. / SUGIOKA Masanori, Ph.D. / KUDO Shinpei, Ph.D. / TAKEMOTO Miho / HAYASHI Yoko / WADA Hisako / FURUHASHI Tadaaki, Ph.D. / NAGASHIMA Wataru, Ph.D.
Overseas Collaboration Division
The Center conducts joint research with overseas institutions on healthy emotional development. Recently, our joint research projects with Scandinavian institutions focus on themes such as the relationship between children’s mental health and their school/community environment as well as their mental health and the use of the Internet. In Asia, we also conduct joint research with Mongolia on those children who need special support. Based on such comparative research conducted jointly with overseas institutions, we study in more detail the characteristics of condition specific to children in Japan to get insight as to how to provide support for them.
In order to facilitate more efficient cooperation with overseas institutions, we invite one or more researchers from overseas as visiting researchers for collaboration in research and education.
The Psychological Counseling Room and the above 4 divisions operate in close cooperation to actively disseminate to our society comprehensive expertise on healthy psychological development of children and how to help them.
