Asia-Centered, Global Academic Exchange
An academic society for comparative inquiry into clinical psychology, psychological support, professional systems, and ethical practice in multicultural societies.
The Journal publishes research articles, theoretical papers, practice reports, and scholarly discussions related to comparative clinical psychology, multicultural psychological support, and practice in healthcare, welfare, education, work, and justice-related contexts.
Online ISSN: 2760-2575
J-STAGE: Journal page
The Society organizes academic meetings, study sessions, international exchange, and collaborative opportunities connecting researchers and practitioners across Asia and throughout the world.
International Research & Practice Exchange
How do cultural, social and institutional differences shape psychological support? Through dialogue with researchers and practitioners in Asia and beyond, we share research and practice from different regions.
Working languages, interpretation and participation conditions are announced for each event. Use the exchange enquiry form to express interest in future meetings or propose a presentation.
Enquire About ParticipationFull-text papers are available on J-STAGE. Submissions are accepted in Japanese, Chinese and English. For Chinese or English manuscripts, consult the editorial team about review and editing arrangements before formal submission.
Journal & Submission GuideShare your research interests or challenges in practice and discuss possibilities for collaborative research and academic exchange. Please tell us about your topic and proposed collaboration.
Discuss Research & ExchangeFive-country research focus: the symposium on 11 October 2026 addressed research trends in Mongolia, China, South Korea, India and Japan. Symposium Report
This independently organized symposium was held online on October 11, 2026, as part of the 45th Annual Convention of the Association of Japanese Clinical Psychology. Society President Taka Mochizuki and other members of the Society participated as speakers.
Focusing on clinical psychology research trends in Mongolia, China, South Korea, India, and Japan, the symposium explored similarities and differences in cultural, practical, and institutional contexts.
A related special issue of the Society’s journal is being edited for full-text publication on J-STAGE soon. CiNii Research and National Diet Library Search provide bibliographic discovery; Ichushi-Web is a medical literature database in which the journal is indexed. Coverage and available records vary by service. Publication details will be announced on this website.
We plan to hold an international academic and clinical exchange meeting in the near future, covering a wider range of regions. Alongside research trends, we will discuss current conditions and challenges in psychological support across school and education, healthcare, welfare, workplace, and judicial settings.
We welcome prospective participants and presenters who would like to share their research, clinical practice, or challenges encountered in the field.
Please contact the Society office to express your interest. Dates and participation details will be announced once confirmed.
Contact: [email protected]
Two Ways to Explore
Learn about the organization and its governance, or explore comparative clinical psychology as a field of research.
Purpose, organization, rules, journal, peer review, ethics, activities, and membership.
About the SocietyAcademic definition, comparative perspectives, related fields, research themes, and practice settings.
Explore the FieldHeld
This Japan-China practical exchange meeting was held on July 25, 2026. Activity reports and related materials will be posted on the members-only page as they become available.
This international academic and clinical exchange meeting was held on July 27, 2026. Activity reports and related materials will be posted on the members-only page as they become available.
The Society for Comparative Clinical Psychology promotes academic exchange among researchers, clinicians, educators, graduate students, and professionals worldwide who are concerned with psychological support across cultural, social, and institutional contexts.
The Society understands psychological support as a broad field of practice, including healthcare and medical settings, social welfare, education and school settings, industry and work, and justice and crime-related fields.
In an increasingly multicultural and mobile world, clinical psychology cannot be understood only through individual experience. The meaning of psychological distress, help-seeking behavior, therapeutic practice, professional training, and ethical norms are all shaped by social, cultural, historical, and institutional conditions.
The Society therefore seeks to clarify both commonalities and differences in clinical psychology through comparative analysis. With Japan and Asia as important foundations for exchange, we welcome perspectives and collaboration from every region of the world.
Academic definition
Comparative Clinical Psychology is an academic discipline that systematically examines, through comparative analysis, how the understanding of the mind, the conceptualization of psychological distress, the theory and practice of psychological intervention, professional systems, and ethical norms are shaped by, vary across, and converge within differing social, cultural, and institutional contexts.
This field is closely related to cultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, multicultural counseling, and intercultural communication. Its distinctive focus, however, lies in connecting comparative inquiry directly with clinical theory, psychological support, professional institutions, and ethical practice across multiple practice fields.
Comparative Clinical Psychology was proposed and academically defined by Taka Mochizuki in 2011 and presented through his doctoral research in 2013. The Society develops this perspective as an open field of inquiry through the participation of researchers, practitioners, and students.
An academic designation and an identifier of Society activities
The designation “Comparative Clinical Psychology”, expressed in Japanese as “比較臨床心理学”, was presented as an academic perspective in 2011 and developed through doctoral research published in 2013. Since research-group activities began in 2015, the field has been examined through research meetings, academic publishing, education, and international exchange.
Through consistent use of the designation, the Society identifies the provider of its related academic publications, education and training, research meetings, and international exchange activities, while maintaining their quality and academic reliability.
The Japanese word mark “比較臨床心理学” is currently the subject of trademark applications filed personally by Taka Mochizuki in Classes 16 and 41. The applications do not restrict appropriate academic research, citation, education, criticism, or scholarly discussion.
Pending trademark application in Japan
The Japanese word mark “比較臨床心理学” is currently the subject of a pending trademark application in Japan for designated goods and services in Classes 16 and 41. This notice does not indicate that trademark registration has already been granted.
The Society respects appropriate use in academic citation, research, education, and criticism. For inquiries concerning publications, education and training, collaborative projects, or other activities using the designation, please contact the Society Secretariat.
Comparing how psychological distress, healing, help-seeking, family relationships, and self-understanding are interpreted across cultural and multicultural settings.
Examining how qualifications, training models, ethical codes, and the roles of psychologists, counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, workplace mental health staff, and justice-related professionals differ across societies.
Exploring how psychotherapy and psychological interventions are applied, transformed, or constrained by cultural, social, medical, welfare, educational, occupational, and legal-institutional conditions.
The Society welcomes comparative research and practice-based exchange across five major fields of psychological support.
Psychiatric care, rehabilitation, developmental support, psychotherapy, family support, and multidisciplinary collaboration in medical institutions.
Psychological support for children, families, older adults, people with disabilities, community services, and welfare-related institutions.
School and university counseling, student mental health, support for international students, teacher support, and mental health education.
Workplace mental health, organizational adaptation, stress management, employee assistance, and multicultural work environments.
Psychological assessment and support related to justice, crime, correctional settings, family disputes, victim support, and ethics.
Comparative clinical psychology draws on and engages with cultural psychology, cross-cultural psychology, multicultural counseling, and intercultural communication. These fields overlap; the table highlights shared interests and the Society's particular focus rather than drawing exclusive boundaries.
| Field | Shared Interests | Particular Focus of Comparative Clinical Psychology |
|---|---|---|
| Intercultural Communication | How does communication occur between people from different cultural backgrounds? | Connecting communication across cultural backgrounds with psychological distress, help-seeking, and support processes. |
| Cultural Psychology | How are culture and mind mutually constituted? | Examining the implications of the mutual constitution of culture and mind for psychological distress, clinical practice, and support systems. |
| Cross-Cultural Psychology | Commonalities and differences in psychological processes across cultural contexts. | Examining what these commonalities and differences mean for psychological support, ethics, and professional systems. |
| Multicultural Counseling | How should counseling respond to cultural diversity? | Connecting culturally responsive practice with comparative inquiry into theories, institutions, ethics, and historical contexts. |
| Comparative Psychology | How can behavior, cognition, learning, and emotion be compared across species? | Comparative clinical psychology is not primarily concerned with interspecies comparison. It examines human psychological suffering and support within cultural, social, and institutional contexts. |
| Japanese name | 比較臨床心理学会 |
|---|---|
| English name | The Society for Comparative Clinical Psychology |
| President | Taka Mochizuki, Ph.D. in Psychology, Kyushu University |
| Vice President / Chair, Certification Committee | Jiro Ogata, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, The University of Kitakyushu |
| Vice President / Chair, Editorial Committee | Peiling Gu, Certified Public Psychologist / Clinical Psychologist, Kyushu University |
| Vice President / Chair, Research Promotion Committee | Daisuke Motoyoshi, Kumamoto University |
| Chair, Ethics Committee | Kazuhiro Akiyama, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Sendai Shirayuri Women's College |
| Auditor | Suzuka Tsurukawa |
| Established | May 8, 2015 |
| Secretariat | Taka Mochizuki Laboratory, Oji Campus, Tokyo University of Social Welfare, Tokyo, Japan |
| Contact | [email protected] |
Researchers, practitioners and students interested in comparative clinical psychology are welcome. Join a shared space for enquiry through research meetings, academic exchange and scholarly publication.
View Membership Requirements & Procedures