Today we’d like to introduce you to Joanne Kim.
Hi Joanne, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
In 2019, I co-founded M&K Counseling Associates in Washington, DC, with Dr. Jami C. Murray, driven by our shared vision of providing a supportive and inclusive mental health care space. Our journey began in 2009 at a community mental health center, where we worked with individuals facing severe mental illnesses. This experience opened our eyes to the systemic challenges these individuals encounter and reinforced our commitment to offering compassionate support.
Throughout my 15-year career, I’ve focused on enhancing healthcare accessibility for culturally diverse populations, a mission that resonates deeply with me as a Korean woman. Working with clients from various backgrounds has been incredibly rewarding and underscores the importance of ensuring quality behavioral health care for all. Meanwhile, Dr. Murray lends a wealth of knowledge to our practice, not only as a published researcher and adjunct instructor but also through his advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community, exemplified by his development of the LGBTQ Belonginess Attainment Scale.
Since launching M&K Counseling Associates, we’ve grown to over 45 dedicated staff members and established a robust internship program that nurtures young mental health professionals. We proudly serve over 800 clients, making us one of the few group practices in DC that accepts most major health insurances.
Our practice embodies our commitment to equitable mental health services, informed by the invaluable lessons we learned in the non-profit sector. We strive to ensure every individual receives exceptional care tailored to their unique financial and emotional needs. Mental wellness should be accessible to everyone, irrespective of their background or circumstances.
Emphasizing inclusivity and the recognition of diverse identities, our collaborative approach focuses on personal growth. We are passionate about creating an environment where clients feel safe, understood, and empowered to embark on their transformative journeys. At M&K Counseling Associates, we are dedicated to walking alongside our clients, supporting them through their challenges, and celebrating their successes as they work toward improved mental health and overall well-being.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
During our first year at M&K Counseling Associates, the COVID-19 pandemic posed significant challenges as we transitioned to telehealth. We quickly learned new technologies to maintain client connections and ensure they received the support they needed. At the same time, we faced a lack of training and education on growing a business, which made navigating its intricacies difficult. Additionally, we struggled with health insurance companies, receiving no fee increases since our inception despite the rising costs associated with providing care and expanding our staff.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are mental health professionals who firmly believe that mental wellness is a right, not a privilege. With a combined 45 years of experience in community behavioral health settings, we are dedicated to delivering highly effective and individualized counseling services tailored to the unique needs of residents in the DMV area. Our mission centers on supporting individuals in their personal growth and transformation goals through specialized therapeutic care. To ensure we provide the highest quality of services, we prioritize comprehensive training for our staff in various therapeutic models and evidence-based practices. This includes approaches like Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy, Gottman Couples Therapy, and Phase-Based Trauma Psychotherapy.
This commitment to ongoing professional development enables our team to effectively meet the complex needs of both adults and couples, delivering care with the utmost professionalism and compassion. We strive to exceed the typical expectations of psychotherapy by focusing on fostering profound personal development and lasting change. At the core of M&K Counseling Associates is our deep empathy, unwavering dedication, and a strong belief in the capacity for growth within each client.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
In the next few years, we aim to expand our services to include Medicaid, allowing us to give back to the population of clients from which we began. This initiative is essential to us, as we want to ensure that our support reaches those who may be underserved or facing financial barriers to mental health care. Additionally, with our current four office suites in Washington, DC, we are looking to establish new physical office locations in Maryland and Virginia. This expansion will allow us to provide our clients with the option of in-person sessions, moving beyond just telehealth. By broadening our reach, we hope to enhance accessibility to the quality mental health services we offer and create a more significant impact on the mental well-being of those in our community.
Pricing:
- We accept most major health insurance
- We offer low cost options starting a slow as 120 per session
- sliding scale options
- some pro bono
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mkcounselingdc.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/93081415/admin/dashboard/
