In this episode, I sit down with a Korean American psychologist who reflects on vulnerable early-career moments when cultural differences shaped how she understood clients’ expressions of suicidal ideation. In her culture of origin, language about death and wanting to die was often woven into everyday speech — a nuance that initially influenced how she assessed risk in the therapy room. Together, we explore how culture shapes meaning, why suicidal language does not translate evenly across contexts, and how cross-cultural humility — not perfection — is essential to ethical and attuned clinical care.

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation and may be sensitive for some listeners. Please listen with care.

Dr Jeongmi Moon

https://www.drmoon.live

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In this episode, I sit down with a Chicago-based art therapist Elizabeth Yoo-lae Cho to explore why creative expression can unlock what words sometimes can't. She explains how she uses clients' artwork to track therapeutic progress over time in ways traditional talk therapy can't capture. We also dive into her experience as a Korean American woman whose training environment was white-dominated—navigating boundary challenges with middle-aged white men while learning to find her voice. Now working primarily with Asian American clients, she shares how she's learned to bring her full, authentic self into the room. This conversation offers both practical tools and real inspiration for new therapists.

Elizabeth Yoo-lae Cho:

⁠https://www.elizabethyoolaecho.com

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In this episode, I sit down with my friend Eunhyey Lok to explore the familiar experience of feeling we're not being effective for our struggling client. It's so easy to attach our self worth to our effectiveness, isn't it? This is where the concept and reality of limits comes in full force. They may talk about it in grad school, but actually confronting it is something else. We hope you enjoy the episode and feel seen.

Eunhyey Lok's website:

https://www.eunhyeylok.com

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