About

The Rev. Dr. Margaret Izutsu

The Rev. Dr. Margaret (Maggie) Izutsu spent much of her early adulthood in Japan, both during her undergraduate degree at Oberlin College and after graduating with a BA in East Asian Studies, as well as following her work as program director for the Mental Health Association of Washington in 1979–1980. She married into the culture and did most of her training there as a psychotherapist, helping found The International Counseling Centre in Kobe. She also worked as a translator, interpreter, teacher, editor, TV talent, and negotiator, serving in government, the media, and the private sector.

She returned to the States in 1990 to train for and enter the ministry as a third-generation Episcopal priest. After earning her MDiv at Harvard Divinity School, she went on to do a doctorate there in comparative religion. Serving on the faculty and administration of the Seminary of the Southwest brought her to Austin, Texas, in 2004, where, a few years later, she conducted a pilot project to see if Japanese memorial customs could be adapted for use in North America.

She is the founder and CEO of The Rite Source, LLC, which provides counseling, education, and consultation and oversees an interactive website for individuals and groups of mourners, therapists, and other helping professionals and bereavement theorists to collaborate on offering better support for grief and spiritual development. She is currently spearheading a new pilot program called, “Room For You,” which is a workshop for developing the skills and habits needed for constructive and creative conversations across the political divide.