Welcome to Healing Ground; where you can start to heal, flourish, and achieve lasting wellness.
My Values
I value building a strong therapeutic relationship with my clients by meeting them where they are at and helping them evoke their own motivations in order to make changes in their lives. I am a client-centered counselor, helping clients build on their inherent strengths by providing a safe and empathetic space.
I think true empathy is when you are able to feel a deep sense of distress and sadness by joining the person’s experience, not just observing from a distance. Empathy creates space for a client to be more curious and compassionate towards themselves. As Henry Nouwen put it, “Who can take away suffering without entering it?” I am truly grateful to be able to join in with my client's pain with genuine empathy and compassion.
My Approaches
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“IFS is a transformative tool that conceives of every human being as a system of protective and wounded inner parts led by a core Self. We believe the mind is naturally multiple and that is a good thing. Just like members of a family, inner parts are forced from their valuable states into extreme roles within us. Self is in everyone. It can’t be damaged. It knows how to heal.”
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help clients find the motivation to make a positive behavior changes
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Cultivating Cultural Competence and Humility in Psychotherapy for Inclusive Mental Health
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“providing clients with empathy and unconditional positive regard to help facilitate change. Offers support, guidance, and structure so that the client can discover personalized solutions within themselves.”
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY
As a Korean-American immigrant, I am able to provide a space and expertise for clients who struggle with cultural integration and cultural trauma. I provide therapy in both English and Korean and have extensive experience working with Asian populations, in addition to other immigrant ethnicities.
I immigrated to the U.S as a teen over 35 years ago. I struggled with cultural assimilation, language barriers, and clashing family expectations and values. I learned so many lessons through recognizing my own mistakes and flaws in raising my 2nd generation children. I practice cultural competency by understanding of how culture plays an important role in an individual's mental health. This involves respecting my clients’ own unique experiences and understanding their values and beliefs in their worldviews.
In-person and remote options
My office is conveniently located in down town Hinsdale. Can’t make it into the office? No worries – I’ve got you covered with teletherapy.
“Michelle Kim is exceptionally professional, nonjudgemental, and the most compassionate therapist. Her therapy is always client-centered. She genuinely cares about her clients and their well-being. She has helped me learn to be compassionate and empathetic towards myself while processing childhood issues.”
-Rose-
“I met with Michelle for about a year via telehealth. She was incredibly patient, thoughtful, and compassionate and helped me navigate things I didn’t know I could. The impact she has had on my life is incredible and I highly recommend her.”
-Mike-
