Doug Ota was raised in La Jolla, California, the son of a Japanese father and an English mother.  Their separation when he was three showed Ota how to grow up between worlds.  The death of his brother and step father trained Ota in grief.  He has made a career out of wondering where he—and others—belong. 

Ota migrated east to study philosophy of religion at Princeton University, then further east to study Clinical Child Psychology at the University of Leiden in The Netherlands, going on to become a registered child psychologist with the Dutch Psychological Association. For many years, he worked as a High School counselor at the American School of The Hague. He now works in private practice.

Half of Ota's professional activities are devoted to counseling with children and adolescents, individuals, couples, and families (www.dougota.nl). The other half is devoted to consulting with international schools and organizations on how to build programs to address the challenges and opportunities of mobility—programs that guarantee safe passage (www.safepassage.nl). 

He lives in The Hague, in the Netherlands, with his wife and three children. For fun, he runs marathons.