About Katherine Chung

Katherine Chung is a Registered Psychotherapist with ten years of experience in the mental health field. She’s been a trusted member of our MyLife team since 2019. Katherine works with adults and students 16+ struggling with issues such as anxiety, depression, relationships, cultural identity, interracial family dynamics, and intergenerational trauma. 

Katherine has collected a wealth of experience spanning her career. She supported people struggling with anxiety, addiction and trauma as a behavioural counsellor with Stonehenge Therapeutic Community. As a counsellor at Homewood Health Centre, she developed and facilitated CBT and Mindfulness skills groups for dozens of patients there struggling with mental health, grief, and addictions. While at McMaster University she worked at the Student Wellness Centre supporting students with stress, anxiety, depression, and relationship issues. Today, Katherine continues to enjoy working with adults and students wanting to improve their mental health, cope with major life transitions, and build stronger relationships.  

Katherine also specializes in supporting people growing up in interracial families or who are children of immigrants. As a person raised in an interracial family herself, she understands the challenges of feeling caught between two worlds. Cultural differences can lead to conflicting views on how feelings should or should not be talked about, what love and respect mean, and how children should be treated. Clients turning to Katherine often talk about feeling inadequate, misunderstood, and invalidated because of these differences. They fear not living up to their families’ standards and often carry a sense of low self-worth, guilt, shame, and resentment. Family conflicts can also lead to a fear of being rejected or the belief that cutting off is the only solution.  

Katherine creates a safe space where her clients can start talking about these experiences without a fear of being judged. She helps people explore these challenges while clarifying their own values and positive sense-of-self. When possible, Katherine helps her clients work on rebuilding family relationships in ways that feel authentic and genuine. Katherine also helps her clients understand the impacts of intergenerational trauma in their families, such as when families pass down the psychological effects of past traumatic events such as childhood abuse, racism, and war. She believes acknowledging one’s family history of pain can be a step towards healing one’s own. 

Katherine draws from a variety of evidenced based approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy. Her experience as a certified personal trainer and Bootcamp instructor means that even when life is a struggle, she helps her clients find the determination and hope to overcome the obstacles in their lives. 

Katherine values the importance of self-care in her life. She relaxes and re-energizes herself through her love of cooking for others, ballroom dancing, playing tennis, and spending quality time with her family and friends.