Jiyoon Kim

My passion for psychotherapy began through my work with survivors of domestic violence and individuals from underserved communities. Over the years, I've worked in community mental health with people from many different walks of life, including those living with serious mental illness, experiencing homelessness, or navigating life as undocumented immigrants. I've worked with both young adults and older adults.

I believe we are never quite the same people we were five years ago. We continue to grow, change, and discover new things about ourselves, and the people closest to us are changing too. Even relationships that once felt familiar can become complicated.

What draws me to this work is my curiosity about people—how they see the world, how they make sense of their experiences, and how they find their way through life's uncertainties. I value the opportunity to understand each person's perspective and explore together what might be possible when we begin to see things differently.

As human beings, we naturally want to understand ourselves and feel understood by others. Yet sometimes, even when we recognize that something in our lives isn't working, we find ourselves repeating the same patterns, struggling with familiar emotions, or holding on to experiences we thought we had moved past.

I believe that our present struggles often have roots in experiences and relationships that we haven't fully understood or resolved. My approach is holistic and primarily psychodynamic, meaning I'm interested not only in what you're experiencing today, but also in how your past may continue to shape your thoughts, feelings, and relationships. Rather than focusing solely on finding immediate solutions, I believe that deeper understanding can create space for meaningful and lasting change.

I also draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Narrative Therapy when helpful, recognizing that different perspectives and approaches can offer different ways of understanding ourselves.

I'm naturally curious about my clients and enjoy exploring how they experience the world. My style is warm, supportive, and collaborative, but I also believe that growth sometimes comes from being gently challenged to question what we've always believed or to see something familiar through a different lens. Therapy, to me, is not about telling someone how to live, but about helping them better understand themselves and discover their own way forward.

I believe that every meaningful relationship begins with getting to know one another, and therapy is no different.

We will work together to establish clear therapeutic goals and work on progressing them. Through conversation in our sessions, you can help me as well as yourself understand the origin of any issues you are facing that we are working on through your goals.

I believe that feeling understood and developing a genuine connection with your therapist are essential parts of the process. There's no expectation that you have all the answers or even know exactly what you're looking for. Sometimes, simply having the space to pause, reflect, and begin putting our experiences into words is a meaningful first step.