About Akua Family Therapy
Aaron Collins is the owner and manager of AKUA Family Therapy. Akua Family Therapy was started by Aaron Akua Collins, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in 2018 and transitioned it to a group practice in 2023.
Here at AKUA Family Therapy, we believe in creating the best atmosphere for our clients and employees and giving back to our community.
Our mission is to serve Hawaii’s community by providing a safe space to nurture mental health, improve overall functioning, strengthen relationships and open up new possibilities. We are a pillar for providing professional, culturally sensitive, trauma informed and faith based options in mental health services.
Our vision is to be a beacon of light, eliminating mental health stigma by creating awareness of, appreciation for, and acceptance of mental health self-care. We are a fun, dynamic, and collaborative team who values helping improve the health and wellness of our communities.
Our Values: AKUA Family Therapy lives by values that guide who we are as a team and how we present to our communities. We value integrity, service, teamwork, and agape love.
Personal, Cultural, Local Connection: We believe that cultural awareness and sensitivity is important in providing good therapy. We are building a team that values relationship, relatability and skill in quality rapport building. Our team is committed to strengthening our cultural sensitivity and awareness in connecting with people of different cultural backgrounds. We want our clients to feel safe and free to express, process and build insight.
Trauma Informed and Sensitivity: It is our goal to be mindful of how trauma events play a role in our client’s personal experience, and to create a safe space for them to process in therapy. We want our community to feel safe here to present their concerns, process their experiences and find hope, relief and healing. We also value transparency in our team, sharing our lives together, and being real with where we are at mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically.
Serving the community: Part of our mission is to contribute to promoting wellness within the community through community involvement, speaking engagements, and financial contributions. It is our goal to reach more people and provide psycho-educational services to churches, schools, and businesses through regular outreach in the community.
Quality investment: We’re committed to providing the best atmosphere for our clients and our team. Our commitment is seen in our quality of care and compassion for our clients, providing specialized and wrap around services. Investment in our team comes with a collaborative environment with a fun atmosphere, growth activities and spending quality time. We promote continued education for our clinicians in evidence-based practices so clients can feel safe knowing their therapist is always growing in their skill.
The name Akua represents a connection to God, Spirit, Creator, a connection to one’s identity and ancestors. We value giving clients the option of including christian faith integrated spiritual support as part of their individualized treatment plan and mental health services. At AKUA Family Therapy all clients are treated with kindness, respect, compassion, integrity and without discrimination regardless of their faith, race, sexual orientation, or other identifying factor.
Our Team
Licensed Therapists
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Owner of Akua Family Therapy
*Seeing Clients In-Person at Hilo Office and Kurtistown Office, and Online via Telehealth
Aaron specializes in systemic marriage and family therapy. Aaron has an eye for helping individuals and couples to build insight through psycho-education, processing and family interactions.
Aaron’s specialty areas: Emotion Coaching, Couples Therapy, Emotional Regulation, Trauma Processing with EMDR, Christian Integration, Family Therapy, Psycho-education, Social Skill Building.
Pre-Licensed Therapists
Mental Health Counseling Pre-licensed Professional
*Seeing Clients In-Person at Kurtistown Office, and
Online via Telehealth
Ellie specializes in couples therapy and related issues, offering a safe and nurturing space for you and your partner to strengthen your bond and overcome obstacles together. Ellie also works with adult individuals.
Ellie’s specialty areas: Couples Therapy, Sexual Issues, Recovery from Infidelity, Erotic Recovery, First Responders, Co-parenting Therapy.
Support Staff
Margaret Benavides, Administrative Assistant
Margaret Benavidez plays a very valuable role at Akua Family Therapy. She supports all of our therapists and clients in everything from intakes and onboarding, to scheduling and billing. You will likely speak with Margaret at some point of your client journey with Akua Family Therapy as she supports us in making sure that you are well taken care of from your first call, answering questions, sending out documents and connecting you with the therapist that you are looking for.
Aloha, my name is Margaret Benavidez. I am a wife and mother of three beautiful children, two of which are already adults. I am a Christian and do my best to build my life around Jesus. I started my career in senior living as a concierge and worked my way up to Director of Sales and Marketing. As a Director of Sales and Marketing I assisted families and seniors to find retirement or care options available to them. I ended my career in senior living after having our last child and decided to be a stay at home mom for the first few years. We moved to Hawaii to be close to family and raise our youngest child. Currently I serve as a Sunday school teacher in kids ministry. I homeschool our youngest daughter. Going back to work was a difficult decision but working with Akua Family Therapy group gives me the flexibility to be a mom and a wife while still being able to serve in our community. My future goals are to complete my college degree and help build businesses and people.
Kaimilani (Kaimi) Alboro, Marketing Specialist
Kaimilani Alboro supports Akua Family Therapy by working collaboratively with our therapists to promote the specific service that we provide to the community. Kaimi is a quick learner, adaptable and a strong member of our team. She is an integral part of helping us strengthen our relationships to other providers, educators, professionals, leaders and the community through our networking, social media and advertising efforts.
Aloha! My name is Kaimilani Alboro and I am a Marketing Specialist here at Akua Family Therapy. I graduated from Hilo High School, Class of 2023 and I am pursuing a degree of Business Administration at Hawaii Pacific University. I enjoy working for Akua Family Therapy because it does not feel like a typical “job,” I am able to relax and have fun while I work. This summer, 2023, Aaron has offered me the opportunity to work for his company and I have learned so many new things and have been open to so many new ideas and perspectives. Akua Family Therapy has been able to give me hands-on experience and the jump start I need for my future career and goals. I plan to keep working for Akua Family Therapy as I continue my educational journey because I believe the knowledge I will learn will better expose myself and Akua Family Therapy to new and better opportunities.