Biography

I was born in Korea and immigrated to New Zealand in 1994. I completed my undergraduate medical degrees at University of Auckland. It has always been my aspiration to become a psychiatrist so I started my psychiatric training at the earliest opportunity, initially through the Auckland and Upper Central North Island (Waikato, Bay of Plenty) Psychiatry Programme. I moved to Republic of Ireland to broaden my clinical experience and worked in a psychiatric institution with more than a 100-year history. Whilst there I obtained my Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry (2008) before returning to New Zealand and obtaining MRCPsych (Membership of Royal College of Psychiatrist in UK) in 2010. I became a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists in 2015 and also obtained Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Massey University in the same year.

I have worked in a variety of inpatient and community settings within Ireland and New Zealand including maternal mental health and infant mental health team at Waitemata DHB. I have individual and group therapy experiences, using CBT as the main modality. I have also completed introductory training for Watch, Wait and Wonder, Neonatal Behavioural Observation, Circle of Security Parenting, and ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule – Second Edition) as well as short courses for family therapy.

My clinical interests and expertise spans across psychopharmacology, adult psychiatry, perinatal and infant mental health, spirituality, and cross-cultural psychiatry. I am an honorary academic at Auckland University and have been involved in teaching medical students and psychiatric registrars as well as cross-cultural psychiatry for a range of health professionals. I bring a gentle, respectful, collaborative, and holistic approach with in-depth understanding of physical, emotional, relational, cultural, and spiritual aspects of health.