About Me
Such a pleasure to meet you. I am happy you want to work on goals to change your life.
I value change, hope, optimism, compassion, positivity, gratitude, mindfulness, and learning from those who have overcome multiple barriers but have still followed their dreams. I also value being kind to people and animals. I appreciate that life is precious and we need to live in the moment and treasure it and the people and animals we love.
Psychotherapy Specializations include: depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, phobias, sexual abuse/sexual assault, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing), traumatic brain injury, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, social communication issues, relationships (friendships, love, family, etc), fertility issues, adoption, LGBTQ, work stress, career transition, childhood abuse and neglect, bipolar disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia, couples counseling, substance use disorders, and working with children and adolescents.
I believe that a therapist who has a diverse range of work experience can help clients on a deeper level. Thus, I have gained other experiences across various states (besides providing psychotherapy for 23 years for individuals across all socioeconomic, ethnic, cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds), including administration and management, directing clinics, implementing and auditing compliance measures, authorizing inpatient detoxification for substance use disorders and acute inpatient mental health admission in managed care settings, public health administration, clinical supervision, crisis intervention, suicide prevention, teaching since 2004 at the graduate school level, research, training, developing programs, writing and implementing policies, community outreach, and in-home therapy services.
Counseling Techniques: Psychodynamic Therapy, Gestalt Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Trauma Focused CBT, Affect Regulation, and Solution-Focused Therapy.
I believe that weekly live sessions are most effective in helping people.
I look forward to getting you to where you want to go as quickly as possible.
Specialties
- Stress, Anxiety
- Trauma and abuse
- Depression
- Coping with life changes
- ADHD
Addictions , LGBT , Relationship issues , Family conflicts , Grief , Intimacy-related issues , Eating disorders , Sleeping disorders , Parenting issues , Anger management , Self esteem , Career difficulties , Bipolar disorder , Coaching , Read more...
Clinical approaches:
Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT), Existential Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Imago Relationship Therapy, Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy, Solution-Focused Therapy, Somatic Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy
Services Offered
Messaging
Live Chat
Phone
Video
Licensing
LCSW #44SC05455900 (Expires: 2022-08-31)
LCSW #PR063025-1 (Expires: 2021-09-30)
LCSW #5999 (Expires: 2021-12-31)
Reviews
I have been seeing Dr. Kim for three weeks now and I have really been enjoying my sessions with her! She is a compassionate listener, the type that always makes sure I have finished my thought and makes feel valid in feeling whatever it is I feel - even when I am hesitant to do so. She's already helped me see patterns in my thinking linked to my upbringing that I had never before considered or seen. I also love the exercises she has us do together - makes me feel like she really cares and wants to explore my journey of healing together. I'm excited to see where my sessions with her take me!
Dr. Kim is an excellent to consult with your problems. I am not an US citizen and not a native speaker, but she always tries to understand me correctly patiently and take time for me. She is very nice and fun to talk to, so even though I am so depressed, I am always energized after the sessions. In our country, there is no certificated counselor or therapist, so I can not imagine how I could survive without her help for these several months. She is a true professional and have various experiences for even someone like me who has a different culture. I am confident with that I will overcome my long time depressions with her help. She is the best and it was a gift for me to find / meet her through BetterHelp.
Dr. Kim is great. She is encouraging, gentle, and positive but at the same time tells it like it is and I couldn’t be more grateful for her. I came to her at a negative place and she’s helped me improve and I feel that I will continue to do so. I would recommend her to many people.
My experience with Dr. Kim so far has been enlightening to what my potential is. She listens, understands, gives input with experience and readings, she also has been in her field for a great deal of time. I appreciate her attentiveness to my issues and views. Thank you Dr. Kim
Dr. Kim and I have been working together for about 10 months and she has really helped me find productive ways to handle my severe OCD. I have been struggling for over 15 years and she has been the first person I opened up to and her level of understanding and kindness is wonderful. She speaks to me gently and shared a lot of helpful information. I look forward to continue working with her:)
I have been talking to Dr. Kim now for almost a year and she has helped tremendously and is always there for me.
Dr Kim is very understanding and gives tools to help you move forward.
Very helpful.
Dr Kim was extremely helpful and kind. She is an attentive listener and she asked very good questions that helped me to get to the root of my feelings. What I liked most about our sessions was the “homework”. She gave me actionable ways to help myself on a daily basis that truly worked. She was able to help me with everything from my ADHD to the trauma of losing a parent to cancer. She is highly skilled, professional and warm.
Dr. Karina has helped me to grow as a person and to learn what is important in healthy relationships. I look forward to talking to her to help with my issues.
Dr. Kim helped me process a lot of things I was going through with past and present relationships. She showed genuine concern for my life and for me as a person. I’m so thankful for her help while I was going through a difficult time. She provided me with resources that were useful in my day to day life.
I am very grateful to Dr. Kim for her help in sorting through some very complicated feelings and an unhealthy worldview I had held since childhood. She helped me realize some unhealthy relationships in my life and most importantly gave me tools ti avoid replaying them in my own family. It is uncomfortable, but you can’t change what you are not aware of. I think I have been changing quite a bit recently. As a result of the work I have been doing jn therapy, i have found my (sometimes over the top) ambition and competitiveness waning a bit. But I think it is healthy and a natural part of my healing process. It will come back, I feel it - but I think in a much more healthy iteration. I used to be driven by some beliefs that were causing me pain. A lot of the achievements I pursued were motivated externally. I feel much more centered now, and have gained the ability to twll that “voice” to chill - as well as some real people in my life too ha. I was very defensive when I began therapy, and Dr. Kim stuck it out with me even when I was projecting onto her and frankly being unfair to her. She knew I wanted to change and did everything she could in helping me make changes. And i am feeply grateful to her for her help. It is hard to see your own flaws. It can be hard to see where those flaws originated. It can be harder not to “wallow “ in that origination story - to feel badly for yourself for why you were damaged, and leave it at that, with the damage as an excuse. And it is maybe hardest to realize that you can change and let that all go and be better. You can show her who you “really” are in this moment (in quotes because who we are is always in flux!) even if it is not perfect, and trust she will help you move towards a more calm, healthy version of yourself. Doing that is really scary. It made me want to lash out more than once. But i was able to do it with her help.
I went to Dr. Kim because I was struggling with post concussion issues and relationship issues. I worked with her for about 7-8 months and I cannot express how grateful I am that I worked with her. Dr. Kim made me feel understood, heard, and provided various coping tools to help many different situations. After working with her, I feel significantly more confident, able to identify my feelings better, and communicate how I feel more effectively. I would recommend Dr. Kim to anyone.
Dr. Kim has been such a wonderful addition to my life. She's helped me de stress and show me how important self care actually is to living a happy life. I've been able to zero in on my issues with her help and make the best plan to resolve them in a mindful way that didn't add more stress or trauma. Working with her was a blessing to help find myself again. Id recommend her to anyone, especially if you have long standing traumas and want to relearn self care and self love.
She is great at listening and is very empathetic in a way that feels like talking to a friend and not a clinical therapist with canned responses.
I joined Better Help to find a therapist who could help me help my older-teen daughter who is suffering through anxiety and depression. Those are not issues that I have, and so understanding them really required the help of a professional. Without a doubt, it was an awkward position for a therapist -- they usually ask questions, not answer them! But no matter what question or issue I brought to the table, Dr Kim was able to share her experience as a researcher and clinician to help me understand how best to help my daughter. When my daughter would raise an issue or concern that had me scratching my head, Dr Kim was always able to couch it in bigger-picture terms, which helped me understand my daughter's issues as the illness that they are, and not some sort of personal shortcoming. More than once I heard Dr Kim's words coming out of my mouth as I tried to help my husband and son understand what's going on with my daughter!
Overall, I recommend Dr Kim highly. She is articulate and thoughtful, and her insights always helped me to see issues from a different perspective. It was so comforting to hear her talk about her clinical and research experience, because it indicated a depth of knowledge and experience that really made me feel confident in the help I was getting. Five stars!
While working with Dr. Kim I learned to be kinder to myself and in doing so I gained more self confidence. This helped me in many aspects of my life. She is a wonderful listener and alway wanted to make sure that our phone conversations went smoothly. I would recommend Dr. Kim to anyone as she is kind and compassionate to her clients. Thanks for everything Dr. Kim!
After just 4 weeks with Dr. Kim, my life has pulled a 180! I was in a slump, depressed, full of anxiety, and many of my childhood fears were bubbling up. I had chosen Dr Kim based on her trauma experience, as I had an abusive childhood and experienced abuse in relationships. I also lived in the Middle East and was retraumatized by the recent explosion in my city of Beirut. I signed up when I was lashing out in anger toward my wife, which scared me. I promised her that I would seek counseling. Now after four weeks, I am completely managing my anger, feel more peaceful, and am experiencing hope and joy again! I am going to continue with Dr Kim as she keeps pushing me to be my best self. She is knowledgeable, confident, kind, and knows exactly what I need and what I need to address next. Her many years of training shone through. Very grateful for BetterHelp to set me up with such a wonderful therapist!
Dr. Kim is an amazing counselor. She goes above and beyond. She is very knowledgeable about all approaches and aspects of mental health wellness. She is very empathetic and really understands me. She also follows up with check up messages. She is also very experienced with veterans issues. I highly recommend her.
Dr. Kim is amazing! At first I was a little hesitant and even thought it might not work out because I thought maybe some of the things she talked about we did not see eye to eye about but after 4-5 sessions we have a better understanding. She is so accommodating and wants you to get the most of these sessions. I would highly recommend her! Thank you Dr. Kim!
Dr. kim is a 5 stars
I have had a wonderful experience with Dr. Kim. She is very insightful and skilled at getting to the heart of the matter in a short amount of time. I leave every session with something practical to help me navigate my feelings and relationships. I highly recommend Dr. Kim as a counselor in any situation- whether you are trying to sort out your own feelings or even having marital or parenting issues. She is a true professional!
Dr. Kim is very understanding and supportive.
She is great.
I loved working with Dr. Kim! She was kind and understanding during all sessions. She sent me many worksheets, which I found to be very helpful, and she didn't mind sending me more when I asked. She always listened to what I had to say and gave great feedback. My mental health has greatly improved since I first started working with her, and I'm forever thankful for that.
I have been working with Dr Kim for 8 weeks now, and I can confidently say she is the best therapist I've ever had. She is genuinely caring and really just wants to help. I have been struggling with anxiety for many years, and after my sessions with Dr Kim I feel more confident and happy with myself than I ever have. She has been a great help and I would definitely recommend her to anyone! Thank you so much Dr Kim!!!
Dr Kim is absolutely remarkable! Her deep understanding, compassion & expert guidance has truly changed my life. She has been instrumental in helping me untangle a lifetime of suffering and live each day with courage, confidence and mindfulness. My only regret is not having done this sooner.
LOVE LOVE LOVEEE DR. KIM!!!! She has become more than a counselor to me, she has truly become a friend! She’s so warm and helpful! She comes up with creative exercises that help you really break down your inner thoughts and feelings, it’s amazing! I COULD GO ON! Definitely highly recommended!!
Dr. Kim is such a great person to talk to. She really takes the time to listen and understand exactly what you are going though. She offers amazing advice to direct you through your conflicts and help guide you down the road you want to take. I always look forward to my talks with Dr. Kim and am super happy to have had her as my therapist for this short duration of time.
I love working with Dr. Kim. I think she is intelligent yet empathetic. Her whole experience in different therapies makes it a lot more fun!
Dr. Kim is a very experienced and understanding therapist. She was able to understand me and even point out things that have been affecting me my whole life before I recognize it myself. I find our sessions very helpful.
Dr.Kim is so sweet and such a great person to speak with. Thank-you for being such a good listening ear for me especially after listening to so many others before and after our scheduled time...make sure to always make time for yourself and do lots of self care...because you deserve it!
Dr. Kim is attentive, responsive and makes everything feel okay. She listens closely to my thoughts and feelings, and validates them while suggesting helpful and positive exercises, or possible solutions. She helps make me feel I am being listening to and cared for. Would 100% recommend Dr. Kim!
I love Dr. Kim because she is an amazing listener, she gives great advice, she understands the situation and she has been there. She understands the struggle of working full time and going to school full time. She is a very strong and positive person who is a great role model. I honestly cannot wait to be a counselor like Dr. Kim! She is a keeper!
Dr. Kim has been very understanding, knowledgeable and responsive. She has offered insightful suggestions and is very goal-oriented.
Dr. Kim helped me with a variety of issues including my anxiety/depression, imbalances in my relationships and finding connections in my past that affect me today. She did all this without judgment. She’s lgbtq friendly, and has an understanding of different relationship dynamics outside of monogamy. Thank you for helping me through the past month Kim! Highly recommend!
I’ve been working with Dr Kim for a few weeks now. She is fabulous. She’s so warm and inviting, and very easy to talk to. She listens to my words and offers thoughtful feedback without judgement. I really enjoy my sessions with her and I would recommend her services to anyone going through a difficult time.
I loved everything about this counseling.
I really feel like she cares and I appreciate that a lot. Thank you.
In the few sessions I have had with Dr Kim, I feel that she’s responsive and understanding. Always proposes a method to resolve and progress. I have recommended Dr. Kim to my friends and family.
Dr. Kim is a great counselor who will help you through many problems such as the relationships you have with people in life that i was dealing with. She is direct with her advise and she is a good listener.
Dr Kim is very understanding.
For a first timer, I surprised myself that this new way of therapy would work. Dr Kim is a good listener and gave me practical action/steps to take that aren’t huge tasks that would overwhelm me. I only had one phone call. I’ve sat with therapist for an hour each week w/very little help (for months).
Dr. Kim is one of a kind and makes me feel extremely comfortable with opening up - which is all I could ask for from a counselor.
Karina is fantastic.
Dr. Kim was able to give me several anxiety reducing exercises to help me through a very stressful day. I'm looking forward to our upcoming video session!