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Faculty Profile

Tazuko Shibusawa

Associate Professor of Social Work
MSW, PhD
Curriculum Vitae
tazuko.shibusawa@nyu.edu | (212) 998-5943

bio

Tazuko Shibusawa received her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Shibusawa's research focuses on the health and mental health of older adults and their families, including Asian immigrants, women who are at risk for abuse, and older adults who struggle with substance abuse. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse and the John A. Hartford Foundation Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholars Program.

Dr. Shibusawa teaches in the MSW and doctoral programs in the area of advanced clinical practice. She has also been involved in integrating new media technology in the teaching and learning of practice skills and serves as the Project Director of New Media Instructional Innovations (NMII). Dr. Shibusawa also teaches summer intensives in Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Shibusawa's clinical experiences include Director of Social Services, Keiro Nursing Home in Los Angeles, California; psychiatric social worker, Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Center; co-director of Counseling International in Tokyo Japan; and mental health consultant for the World Health Organization. Dr. Shibusawa received post-graduate training in the areas family therapy, psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapy, and trauma studies.

recent publications

Books and Chapters

  • Mui, A.C., & Shibusawa, T. (in press). Asian American elders in the 21st century: Key indicators of psychosocial well-being. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Shibusawa, T., & Chung, I.W. (in press). Health of Asian American elderly. In Rey, M., Trin-Shevrin, C. (Eds.), Health issues in the Asian American community. New York: Jossey Bass
  • Shibusawa, T. (2008). Interracial Asian couples: Beyond Black and White. In M.McGoldrick & K. Hardy (Eds.), Revisioning family therapy (2nd edition). New York: Guilford Press.
  • Shibusawa, T. (2007). Japanese American elders. P. Kolb (Ed.), Social work practice with racially and ethnically diverse nursing home residents and their families (pp.136-161). New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Shibusawa, T. (2006). Older adults with substance/alcohol abuse problems. B. Berkman & D’Ambrusio, S. (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of social work in aging. New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Shibusawa, T. (2005). Japanese families. M. McGoldrick, J.K. Pearce, & J. Giordano (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd edition) (pp. 339-348). New York: Guilford Press.  
  • Shibusawa, T. (2004). La practica clinica con le famiglie di immigrati asiatici. (Clinical practice with Asian immigrant families). In M. Andolfi (Ed.),  Famiglie immigrate e psicoterapia transculturale (Immigrant families and transcultural psychotherapy) (pp.102-115). Milan, Italy: Franco Angeli.
  • Yoshioka, M., & Shibusawa, T. (2004). Psychosocial measures for Asian Pacific Americans. In A. Roberts & K. Yeager (Eds.). Evidenced-based practice manual: Research and outcome measures in health and human services (pp. 488-496). New York: Oxford University Press.
  • Shibusawa, T., & Lukens, E. (2003). Analyzing qualitative data collected in a non-English language: A collaborative approach. D. K. Padgett (Ed.), The qualitative research experience (pp. 175-188). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson.
  • Shibusawa, T., Lubben, J., & Kitano, H. (2001). Japanese Americans. In L.K. Olson (Ed.), Aging through ethnic lenses: Caring for the elderly in a multi-cultural society (pp. 33-44). Boulder, CO: Roman & Littlefield Publishers.
  • Shibusawa, T. (2001). Japanese American parenting. In N.B. Webb (Ed.). Culturally diverse parent-child and family relationships: A guide for social workers and other practitioners (pp. 283-303). New York: Columbia University Press.

Journal Articles


  • Shibusawa, T., & Padgett, D. (in press). Out of sync: A life course perspective of “aging” among formerly homeless adults with chronic mental illness. Journal of Aging Studies, 23 (3).
  • Shibusawa, T., & Mui, A.C. (in press). Health status and health services utilization among older Asian Indian immigrants. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.
  • Sormanti, M., & Shibusawa, T. (2008). Intimate partner violence among midlife and older women: A descriptive analysis of women seeking medical services.  Health & Social Work, 33(1), 33-41
  • Shibusawa, T. (2008). Living up to the American dream: The price of being the model immigrants. Psychotherapy Networker, May/June, 41-57
  • Shibusawa, T., & Yick, A.G. (2007). Experiences and perceptions of domestic violence among older Chinese immigrants. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 19, 1-17
  • Sormanti, M., & Shibusawa, T. (2007). Predictors of condom use and HIV testing among     midlife and older women seeking medical services. Journal of Aging and Health, 19(4), 705-719.
  • Shibusawa, T., VanEsselstyn, D., & Oppenheim, S. (2006). Third Space: A web-based learning environment for teaching advanced clinical practice skills. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 24 (4), 21-32
  • Shibusawa, T., Kodaka, M., Iwano, S., Kaizu, K. (2005). Interventions for elder abuse & neglect: Frail elders in Japan. Brief Therapy & Crisis Intervention, 5, 203-211.
  • Chapman, M.V., Oppenheim, S., Shibusawa, T., & Jackson, H.M. (2004). What we bring to practice: Teaching students about professional use of self. Journal of Teaching in Social Work 23(3/4), 3-14
  • Chen, S., Sullivan, N.Y., Lu, Y.E., & Shibusawa, T. (2003). Asian Americans and mental health services: A study of utilization patterns in the 1990s. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 12 (2), 19-42.
  • Yick, A., Shibusawa, T., Agbayani-Siewart, P. (2003). Partner violence, depression, and practice implications with families of Chinese descent.  Journal of Cultural Diversity, 10     (3), 72-79
  • Mui, A., & Shibusawa, T. (2003).  Japanese American elders and the Geriatric Depression Scale. Clinical Gerontologist, 26 (3/4), 91-104
  • Shibusawa, T., & Chen, S. (2002). Determinants of depressive symptoms among Japanese elders receiving care from spouses, daughters and daughters-in-law. Clinical Gerontologist, 26 (1/2), 31-42
  • Yoshioka, M., & Shibusawa, T. (2002). The life distress inventory: A psychometric examination. Research on Social Work Practice, 12(6), 789-804.
  • Shibusawa, T., Mui, A. (2001). Stress, coping and depression among Japanese American elders.     Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 36 (1/2), 71-83.
  • Shibusawa, T., Ishikawa, H., Maeda, D. (2001). Determinants of service awareness among Japanese elderly. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 20 (3), 279-291