Dr. Han Na Suh

I highly value relationships, influenced by my own cultural background. Distress that you experience, whether expressed in bodily pain or mental pain, may have roots in the hurt from your past and current relationships. This relationship could be person to person but also person to society and person to culture you are in. Distress from cultural and societal factors is also my focal interest and multicultural sensitivity and awareness is also how I approach counseling. Thus, my practice is based on interpersonal psychotherapy with a multicultural lens. Specific interests in my practice includes understanding what and how cultural factors (e.g., expectations, values) may influence client’s distress and somatic expressions of distress. I am also skilled in other approaches (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion-focused therapy) and thus can meet clients’ needs accordingly.

I focus on human strengths and am invested in fostering a thriving life and not simply surviving. I aim to help my clients to foster growth from pain and cultivate strong resiliency.

In the first session, I typically work with clients to gain a holistic understanding of where their concerns root from and the goals they try to obtain through counseling. At times, this first session of vocalizing the internal struggles with gaining some insight on the root of distress is therapeutic. To enable that, I strive to help clients to express themselves fully by creating a safe space.