My Background and Story​

Hi, I’m Kym. I found out I have ADHD after I’d already finished grad school, so I know the strange mix of relief and grief that comes with late answers. I grew up in a blended, multicultural Bay Area family and spent seven-plus years working in education and art. Becoming a therapist connected a lot of the threads I’ve been drawn to over the years. I’m still fascinated by people.

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I click with quirky creatives and multi-interest people, including the ones who’ve masked for so long they’ve lost track of what the unmasked version wants. Learning to work with my brain instead of against it has been freeing (and at times challenging), and I’d love to help you get there with fewer detours.

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I bring lived experience along with professional education and training to help people who are late to identifying as neurodivergent, or who are learning what it means to have more support after growing up masking their challenges, many of them also unpacking shame and internalized stigma. I love to weave in my clients’ interests, and we get to see how things actually do make sense in the big picture.

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Many neurodivergent people share the feeling of growing up as misfits, including those who masked their symptoms exhaustively to fit in, in a society that isn’t generally kind about differences. Diagnosis comes with complex feelings and learning curves, and I can better help my clients through the natural grief as well as the relief of finally having answers.

 

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My Practice

As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, my practice specializes in helping teens, young adults, adults, and families who are dealing with the overwhelm and exhaustion that can come with ADHD and/or Autism, anxiety, and depression. I began practicing psychotherapy under clinical supervision in 2015, learned from skillful supervisors with a range of backgrounds, and became independently licensed in 2021. I’ve worked in school-based community mental health as well as in private practice. Before shifting my career focus to mental health, I taught and supported children, adults, and families through education and art, some of it overseas. That background informs my toolbox for supporting clients who have struggled, or still struggle, with navigating education and expressing their authentic selves.

 

Relevant Interests

Additional interests of mine include complementary and traditional medicine, folklore, mythology, spiritual traditions, cross-cultural wisdom, nutrition’s role in mental health, lifestyle, meditation, and the interconnected relationship between mental health and social justice. If these are things you’d be interested in discussing and integrating into our work together, I welcome you to share your experiences and beliefs!

 

Education and Certifications

I received my Master’s degree in Counseling from Saint Mary’s College of California. My B.A. is in the History of Art and Visual Culture, with a Minor in Education and Teaching, from the University of California, Santa Cruz. I also hold a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) from Trinity College through their program in Barcelona, Spain, and taught English in Madrid for a year. This background in art and teaching has given me a unique perspective on the impact of culture, political climate, and media on our social and psychological development, and on how we all navigate those influences.

 

Thesis Project: “Art, Myth, and Mindfulness: A Support Group for Refugee Children, Ages 8-10” (2016). Master’s thesis project, Saint Mary’s College of California. Explored narrative therapy, expressive arts therapy, and mindfulness strategies as a preventative trauma response intervention to help refugee children in a trauma-informed, culturally and developmentally sensitive way.

 

Additional Training

• Practicum with Lincoln Families’ HOPE program, Oakland

• Post-graduate training and internships at Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) and CASSY school-based counseling programs

• Private practice internship supervised by Rebekah Balboni, LMSW

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I have pursued additional training in trauma, ADHD, Autism, neurodiversity-affirming approaches, multicultural and culturally affirming therapies (particularly Latinx, Southeast and Asian, and Black communities), LGBTQI+ affirming care, Internal Family Systems, mindfulness, parts work, creative arts, nervous system/neurobiology-informed therapy, mind-body integrative care, family systems, feminist and anti-oppressive care, recovery from high-conflict relationships, and the history of racism, colonialism, and social justice’s place in therapy. I am constantly learning and working to stay up to date on new research and my communities.

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Women and BIPOC populations were often left out of relevant research, mistreated, and/or subject to deep biases through the 2000s, which has shaped how biological, social, and psychological health are understood and treated in healthcare and related systems. That’s part of why we’re seeing so much shift in our understanding of mental and physical health. I’m passionate about continuing to educate myself in the areas that directly and indirectly impact my clients and community, so I can be of better service.