Services
About My Clients
Maybe you’re the one others rely on, the ‘strong one’. Maybe you tend to hold things to yourself because it feels too vulnerable to share and it might burden someone else. Or you’re navigating systems that have made it hard to feel like you belong in a room. I’ve seen how cultural misunderstanding in mental health care can lead to misdiagnosis, minimized experiences, or emotional labor to explain yourself. Full Profile & 한국어 프로필: https://www.asianmhc.org/therapist/elizabeth-cho-maatc-atr-p/
My Background and Approach
I went on to earn my MA in Art Therapy and Counseling and BFA in Studio Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. My training includes art therapy, DBT, and narrative therapy, grounded in strengths-based, relational, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive approaches. I also bring LGBTQ+ and disability allyship into my work. In my work as a therapist, I’ve supported clients across both clinical and community settings. This has included leading teen wellness groups through University of Chicago Medicine, as well as facilitating art therapy and psychosocial rehabilitation programs for adults with chronic mental health and intellectual disability diagnoses, and organizing community art workshops. I’ve also worked with immigrants, refugees, neurodivergent adults, and BIPOC/ALAANA communities. These experiences helped me cultivate a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
In 2020, several experiences pointed me to become an art therapist and counselor alongside my path as an artist. Beginning with the gap in mental health services I witnessed at the time, I saw how many people with marginalized identities were struggling to access affirming, inclusive care. A pivotal moment was when someone I cared about shared the depth of their pain as a way to ask for help, which led to the decision to become a therapist. My own experience of therapy helped me understand how essential representation and cultural understanding are in mental health care. I believe healing happens in spaces where you feel safe enough to feel joy and connection. My role is to offer steady attention and help you reconnect with parts of yourself that you might have had to ignore.