The Self-Care Institute

Founded in 2018 by Ami Kunimura, Ph.D., MT-BC

We provide support and resources for individuals and organizations for:
Burnout Prevention • Burnout Recovery
Stress Management • Self-Care & Resilience

We’re here to help you:

Transition out of cycles of burnout and chronic stress

Feel fulfilled at work and at home

Help others without draining yourself

Make self-care a sustainable part of your lifestyle

Enjoy your life

We’re here to cultivate:

An inclusive and holistic approach to self-care

Cultures of compassion at work, home, and in communities

Solutions that address the root causes of burnout, chronic stress, and overwhelm

A more compassionate world through greater compassion for oneself

What We do

Self-Care Support For All

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For Individuals

Online programs & courses
Consultations & self-care coaching

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For Teams & Organizations

Trainings and workshops for burnout prevention and stress management
Speaking and keynotes for events

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Online Courses

Research-based information on burnout, stress, and self-care
Engaging self-care experiences

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Organizations We Have Worked With:

Alaska Airlines
California Park & Recreation Society
Union Station Homeless Services
Berklee College of Music
Counseling and Psychotherapy Center
NIA Community Service Network
International Congress for Qualitative Research and Theory Methodologies

Procter & Gamble
Hawaii State Judiciary
Soccer Without Borders
Western Carolina University
Thom Anne Sullivan Center
Ouachita Behavioral Health and Wellness
World Congress of Music Therapy

Oxfam America
Kuikahi Mediation Center
Berklee College of Music
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
American Music Therapy Association
California Department of State Hospitals

Meet Dr. Ami Kunimura

Ami Kunimura, Ph.D., MT-BC is the founder of The Self-Care Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine and is a board-certified music therapist.

Ami provides therapeutic support for individuals and organizations worldwide with burnout prevention, burnout recovery, stress management, and sustainable self-care.

Ami has presented on self-care and occupational burnout at international events and conferences. She has also developed and facilitated research-based educational courses and programs on burnout prevention and self-care. Ami has taught as a lecturer at UCLA and as an adjunct graduate faculty member at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and Saybrook University.

Meet Dr. Ami Kunimura

Ami Kunimura, Ph.D., MT-BC is the founder of The Self-Care Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine and is a board-certified music therapist.

Ami provides therapeutic support for individuals and organizations worldwide with burnout prevention, burnout recovery, stress management, and sustainable self-care.

Ami has presented on self-care and occupational burnout at international events and conferences. She has also developed and facilitated research-based educational courses and programs on burnout prevention and self-care. Ami has taught as a lecturer at UCLA and as an adjunct graduate faculty member at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and Saybrook University.

Our Approach to Burnout

We approach burnout from a research-based and therapeutic perspective. We stay current with the latest research on burnout and stress in various disciplines including healthcare, education, and business. We view burnout as a multi-dimensional experience with personal, cultural, physical, psychological, spiritual, and environmental components. Although we use research to inform our approach to burnout, we also take into consideration unique factors that may be impacting an individual or organization.

Burnout can be debilitating and can be a difficult state in which to live life. Although burnout is something we want to prevent, we are careful not to immediately push it away, put a band-aid on it, or treat it as an enemy. Burnout has a purpose and is often alerting us to deeper issues that need attention. Burnout is a signal that something needs to change and can be a critical turning point.

We believe in approaching burnout with compassion and treating burnout as a messenger that has important information to share. We work with burnout to get to the core issues in order to make long-lasting positive changes for a more fulfilling life at work and at home.

Our Approach to Self-Care

We take a holistic, inclusive, and evidence-based approach to self-care, recognizing its personal, professional, and cultural dimensions.

We define self-care as caring for yourself in your personal and professional roles with compassionate action and mentality.

Self-care involves both your personal and professional life. Your self-care impacts the people you care about and the quality of your work, which makes self-care both a professional and personal responsibility.

We approach self-care through the lens of progress and exploration. We don’t aim to achieve a perfect self-care practice or to maintain a perfect work/life balance. Rather, we believe in using self-care as a tool to learn about yourself and to support your work, relationships, and living a life that’s meaningful to you.