School of Health Sciences
 

Image of Yasuhiro Kotera

Yasuhiro Kotera

Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences

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Biography

Yasu is an Associate Professor of Cross-cultural Mental Health at the University of Nottingham, Honorary Professor at Azerbaijan University, and Collaborative Researcher at the University of Osaka, Japan. An Accredited Psychotherapist, he has worked internationally with patients from diverse backgrounds.

He has authored over 270 peer-reviewed publications (h-index: 47) exploring how people experience wellbeing across cultures, and recently published a book in Japan, Writing Research Articles in Mental Health: Tips and Mental Strategies on How to Keep Publishing in International Journals (Amazon link). His work has been widely featured, including appearances on Derren Brown's Emotional Boot Camp, BBC Radio, Voice of Islam, ABC Radio National-Australia, and CG Television Network-Europe.

Yasu coordinates the RECOLLECT International Research Consortium, a network of 40 researchers from 35 countries, advancing the cross-cultural understanding of Recovery Colleges as part of the Recovery Research Team. He also leads REACH (Research Ensemble for Advancement in Cross-cultural Healthcare), which supports 51 healthcare and education professionals from 21 countries in conducting innovative research on cross-cultural healthcare.

Currently, Yasu is leading global studies on mental health recovery priorities and forest bathing. His research continues to bridge cultures, fostering global mental health inclusivity and innovation.

Expertise Summary

Cross-cultural mental health; nature-based interventions; self-compassion; ikigai

Teaching Summary

At my previous university, my role was to lead UG/PG taught courses online, therefore I have several publications regarding online pedagogy on top of my mental health research.

Research Summary

Currently, Yasu leads several large-scale international collaborations:

  • RECOLLECT International Research Consortium (40 researchers, 35 countries), advancing the cross-cultural understanding of Recovery Colleges.

  • REACH (Research Ensemble for Advancement in Cross-cultural Healthcare), supporting 51 professionals from 21 countries to build research capacity.

  • Global INSPIRE study, mapping mental health recovery priorities across 60 countries.

  • Social Nature project, exploring cultural and linguistic differences in how "nature" is understood in Japan and the UK.

He continues to integrate self-compassion, ikigai, and nature-based practices within cross-cultural frameworks of wellbeing (CROWN).

Recent Publications

Past Research

Yasu's earlier work focused on self-compassion, ikigai, and mental health in educational and occupational contexts. He conducted some of the first cross-cultural studies of self-compassion, identifying how Asian and Western populations differ in relating to themselves during difficulties. His research on ikigai (life purpose) highlighted its protective role against burnout and poor wellbeing. He also published highly cited systematic reviews and meta-analyses on nature-based interventions, especially forest bathing, providing robust evidence of their mental health benefits.

Future Research

Yasu's future agenda aims to establish CROWN (Cross-cultural Wellness) as a global framework for inclusive mental health. His priorities include:

  • Developing cross-cultural guidelines for recovery-oriented care, informed by large-scale international evidence.

  • Testing scalable nature-based and compassion-focused interventions that can be culturally adapted.

  • Exploring the cultural psychology of key wellbeing concepts (e.g., "nature," "human rights," "recovery") through surveys, linguistic analysis, and mixed-methods research.

  • Building international partnerships to address global mental health inequities by recognising both universal and culture-specific pathways to wellbeing.

School of Health Sciences

B236, Medical School
Queen's Medical Centre
Nottingham, NG7 2HA

telephone: +44 (0)115 95 15559
email: mhssupport@nottingham.ac.uk