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Embedded Counselors

Counseling and Mental Health Services (CMHS) partners with APASS to provide embedded counselors and liaisons that have an AAPI cultural lens and help students in need of mental health and wellness support. APASS’s Embedded Counselors are located at the APASS center (Student Union 421). 

For students who desire to work with an Embedded Counselor from APASS and the other Student Equity and Inclusion Programs centers, including: CBCSA, La CASA, LGBTQ+ Student Center, Veterans Resource Center, and First Gen+ Success Center, individual therapy appointments can be made through the mySHR portal (https://usc.edu/myshr). Students can also work with embedded therapists with the Office of International Services.

After establishing care, your therapist will discuss your care and a treatment plan to meet your goals. The treatment plan might include additional sessions; referral to psychiatry and medication management; open-ended therapy with an insurance-based private practice (including the Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Services practice, located on the 5th floor of the Engemann Building); or recommendation for an appropriate therapy group in USC Student Health.

CMHS also provides 30-minute Let’s Talk drop-in sessions, individual 1:1 appointments with a counselor, group counseling, and workshops.

Meet APASS's Embedded Counselors

Kang-Jiyun-CMH1

Jiyun Kang, PhD
(she/her/hers)

Dr. Jiyun Kang received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Purdue University, IN, completed her pre-doctoral internship at University of Memphis Counseling Center. Jiyun worked as a staff psychologist at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Counseling Center for several years and Acacia Counseling & Wellness for a couple of months before she joined USC in 2021. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in psychology from Ewha Womans University in South Korea and worked as a licensed counselor in Korea prior to her Ph.D. program.

As a first generation immigrant and a former international student, Jiyun is passionate about working with clients with multicultural backgrounds. Her other professional interests include – ADHD; adjustment issues; anxiety; career issues; depression; intersecting identities; relationship issues; supervision and training; and bilingual counseling (English and Korean). She utilizes integrative approach to therapy, primarily using elements drawn from Psychodynamic, Interpersonal, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing (MI) or Solution-Focused therapy based on the nature of the issues or client’s needs. In therapy, she strives to create new understanding, provide corrective experiences, and promote changes.

Jiyun enjoys reading detective books, cooking and baking for fun, and spending time with friends and family.

Appointments in APASS on Mondays and Fridays. 

Alice Phang, PhD
(she/her/hers)

Alice Phang, PhD, received her doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Houston and her master’s degree in Psychology from Yonsei University. Her passion is to help individuals become the best versions of themselves. Her clinical interests include social anxiety, emotional intelligence, career counseling, and international students.

Phang utilizes evidence-based treatment approaches that include Biopsychosocial Practice, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, and Interpersonal Therapy. She serves as the embedded counselor for the Office of International Services.

Phang is from Seoul, South Korea, and can provide therapy in Korean. She enjoys reading books about psychology and business while sipping on a cup of coffee as well as practicing her golf swing. She would tell her college self: “Speak your truth. Even if your voice shakes.”

Appointments in APASS on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

How to make an appointment with an Embedded Counselor