Chicago
Mental Health Institute

Culturally Sensitive Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Psychotherapy

Meet Our Team


Founder

Dr. Oksoon Cho

Ph.D., LCPC, NCC, ACS

Dr. Cho is the founder of the Chicago Mental Health Institute. Her diverse experiences in the field of child & family counseling and clinical mental health counseling have been well recognized in both the US and South Korea. Dr. Cho began her career in Korea and after moving to the US to further expand her career, she recognized the lack of mental health support for Korean-American immigrants such as herself. This led to the establishment of the Chicago Mental Health Institute for Korean Americans.

>  Psychology Today Profile
Email: ocho@CHICAGOmhi.com

Read more

Kyu-man Chae

Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

First-generation Korean immigrants have successfully settled in the Chicago area while overcoming challenges in the land of opportunity, the United States, for the sake of their children. Now, the Korean community in the Chicago area is also expressing its ethnic identity and political voices significantly in mainstream American society. However, it is a reality that many second-generation Koreans are struggling due to cultural differences between the first and second generations, as well as conflicts in communication due to language barriers. Dr. Chae has experience in counseling Korean, American, and Asian clients who have faced psychological difficulties over the past 40 years in both Korea and the United States.

Dr. Chae aims to effectively assist individuals who have experienced difficulties in areas such as marital issues, parenting problems, career decisions for their children, domestic violence and sexual assault trauma, and other trauma-related issues. Additionally, Dr. Chae can effectively help those seeking psychological support and spiritual growth by integrating Christian principles with psychological approaches.

Jisun Chug

MA, LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor)

Sometimes in life, you experience distress without knowing the root cause or the factors that may contribute to it. You become emotionally overwhelmed and frustrated to carry out daily functioning, and sometimes, it leads you to relationship issues. You blame yourself and think it is all your fault and that you did something wrong. You cannot seek help because of the anxiety and fear of your unfamiliarity with the therapy process and the stigma around mental health in the culture. Jisun’s goal as a therapist is to help you explore your emotional pain and provide safe, empathic, and non-judgmental support and guidance to make changes to alleviate emotional distress and improve self-esteem and quality of life. She believes in a holistic approach to mental health therapy, which means looking at the whole person, not just their mental health needs, by providing support considering their physical, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. The healing journey starts with seeking help. Jusun will be with you in every endeavor and step of your way in your healing journey. She provides therapy in both English and Korean.

Hamin Kwak

MA, Doctoral Intern Counselor

For Hamin, the therapeutic work is an artistic process in which a therapist and a client interact together in crafting a way of change and growth for client’s healthy life. His therapeutic ability is to design the artistic process of counseling by providing a supportive space and diversified counseling techniques for adults, adolescents, and children. He is bilingual in English and Korean and wants to meet a variety of clients.

Email: hkwak@koreancounseling.com

Phone: (872) 254-2082

Suji Cho

Assistant Website Developer

Mental Health First Aiders

Youth Mental Health First Aiders

Our Services

About CMHI

Our mission is to help individuals who struggle with the difficulties of adjusting to a different culture and environment and provide a safe space for them to heal and receive mental support.


Read more

Call us for help!

847 813 9079

Fees &
Insurance

We believe that mental healthcare is a right and everyone should have affordable counseling. We have different options to match everyone’s needs and do our best to provide the most affordable services.
We accept Aetna, BCBS, Cigna, United Healthcare, and Optum
Contact us for more information on your insurance and questions about fees.

Schedule your appointment today!

Mental health services designed for culturally diverse clients.

847 813 9079