Creating Space for Authenticity Within Relationships
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
Though I considered different career choices in my early adulthood, I was ultimately drawn to therapy because it brings meaning to my life. I feel motivated by the tangible changes created in therapy, and I’m honored to be a witness and a companion in my clients’ healing journey.
I started Hibiscus Psychotherapy to help individuals, couples and families find the healing that serves as a foundation for individual and relational health. As a compassionate and engaged therapist, it’s my mission to hold space for clients – modeling the openness, accountability, and self-acceptance they’re working to achieve within themselves and their relationships.
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Dual Language Therapy Services
As a bilingual professional, I offer therapy in both English and Chinese. In addition to the general public, my service is suitable to Chinese international students, immigrants, and professionals who are looking for a counselor that speaks their native language. Because of my knowledge concerning the cultural nuances and challenges unique to Asian communities, I am also passionate about serving clients from varying Asian American populations.
- English: bilingual proficiency
- Chinese/Mandarin: bilingual proficiency
- Sichuanese Dialect: bilingual proficiency
- Cantonese Dialect: limited professional proficiency
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Apollonia Wenting Kang
Growing up in China, I loved reading books that shed light on the human mind. Ancient Chinese classical texts such as the Tao Te Ching and Western philosophical works such as Marcus Aurelius's Meditations shaped my formative years.
When I arrived in the United States for the first time as an 18-year-old, I signed up to be a peer crisis counselor for my college campus hotline. This early experience enabled me to test out mental health counseling as a career path. After learning what it was like to help alleviate people's emotional pain firsthand, I realized I had found my path.
I then pursued my master’s in mental health counseling at Columbia University. After receiving my degree, I worked for about two years at a community mental health agency; this humbling experience connected me to underserved and underprivileged populations.
After I received my license in New York, I started working at a private practice in Chicago that specializes in relationship counseling. Through that experience, I discovered my passion and decided to pursue relational therapy as a clinical specialty. Currently, I live in Miami with my husband and see clients from Florida, New York, and Illinois.
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Education
- B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia
- M.Ed in Psychological Counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University in the City of New York
Credentials
- Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois #180.012676
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York #008571
- Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida #MH 19572
Selected Professional Trainings
- Ongoing clinical supervision
- Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate, eCornell and T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, 2024
- Trainings in Internal Family Systems (IFS) 2022 - present
- Externship in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) 2023
- Level 2 Certification in Gottman Method Couples Therapy 2023
- Level 1 Certification in Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) 2022
- The Academy for Couples Therapists 2020 - 2021
- The Couples Institute: The Developmental Model of Couples Therapy 2020 - 2021
- University of Chicago Contextual Behavior Therapy Fellowship 2019 - 2020
- Level 1 Certification in Gottman Method Couples Therapy 2019
- Trainings in Dialectical Behavior Therapy 2017
- Trainings in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 2017
Areas of Expertise
- Conflict-Resolution & Communication Coaching
- Premarital Counseling
- Betrayal & Infidelity Recovery
- Couples Therapy for One
- Discernment Counseling
- Dating Coaching
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Trauma Healing
- Family Counseling Intensives
- Intergenerational Trauma
- Immigrant Families
Do you have any questions about my practice?
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Cherish Every Encounter
There’s a Japanese proverb I love: Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一會). It means cherish every encounter, for it will never recur.
Every meeting with a client is one-of-a-kind. Even if I meet with the same client for years, each session is still a unique and distinct encounter.
Because I revere the individual nature of my clients, my approach to our sessions has an adaptable structure that responds to their specific needs.
Some clients prefer more free-form sessions reserved for talking and exploring. For these clients, I take a non-directive approach–this means I let clients bring up what's on their mind and offer them tools as we go, naturally weaving solutions into our conversation.
Others crave a more concrete structure, with worksheets and assignments to complete outside of our sessions. In these instances, I reserve a portion of our session to review their progress and set new tasks.
Others fall somewhere in between, and I use my discretion to craft effective discussions that lead to healing and growth.
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Customized Roadmaps
Before starting our work together, I often establish a 15-minute phone consultation where I ask my new client what they would like to work on. Then in the first couple of sessions, I gather background information to evaluate if my expertise matches the client’s therapeutic needs.
I ask questions like:
- What is your cultural background?
- How is your relationship with your family?
- What is important to you in life?
- What do you hope to achieve in our work together?
- For conflict resolution: What do you fight about? And how do you fight?
- How do you want to feel in your relationship?
In getting to know my clients’ history, I’m able to see constructive possibilities, and give each client a roadmap for working together. Similar to a prescription, this roadmap is a preliminary plan for the next 5-10 sessions that outlines how we can achieve their goals.
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Methodologies
As I explore my clients’ stories with them, I’m able to draw on my knowledge and apply the appropriate methodologies to help them find healing. The methodologies I apply most frequently with my clients are:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Although we cannot control every circumstance in life, we can work on emotional regulation that helps us withstand life’s difficulties. I help clients practice CBT and DBT skills, giving them the tools to reframe their narratives and adopt flexibility, resilience and self-compassion. This focus on emotional regulation is a common therapeutic goal for individuals, and is also very crucial for couples and families looking to strengthen their relationships.
Experiential Models: Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)
Intellectually, we may already know what we need to do to improve our mental health. But there's something murky and undefined--both in our bodies and subconscious minds--that interferes with our ability to find clarity moving forward.
This is because our brain, mind, and body are closely intertwined. As a result, it's often not enough to have an intellectual understanding of our problems: we must use a combination of cognitive and experiential focus to explore our issues fully. The experiential models (EFT and AEDP) help us create a felt sense of experience, inviting us to access emotions in a safe space. By experientially tracking feelings and bodily sensations, we can reconnect with ourselves, and create profound in-the-moment changes.
The Developmental Model
Sometimes our past can keep us feeling stuck, hurt, or unfulfilled. It can show up as harmful patterns that were normalized in our families of origin, and even drive us to try and heal old wounds through new relationships. When we do this deep work, The Developmental Model helps us recognize what happened in the past that is still happening today, and discover insights about how our childhood and life experiences shaped our attachment styles and relationship intelligence.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
Based on over 40 years of research, The Gottman Method is an evidence-based therapy that shows couples what a healthy relationship needs, as well as points out harmful behaviors that predict divorce and breakups. This method helps me analyze where couples stand with one another, so I can help them achieve open and honest communication that serves as the foundation for a loving relationship.
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