Tess was born and raised in South Korea and immigrated to Oahu, Hawaii at 18 years old. Before working as a licensed clinician she had an extensive career in health & fitness and the healing art of movement. Tess has had a following as a body, mind and spirit practitioner and she knows the body as the medium for transformative alchemy and healing of the psyche. Her movement studies include various forms of Dance, Yoga, Nia, Pilates, Martial Arts, Body Sculpting, and Gymnastics. Tess is certified in the Korean Healing Bodywork called “Kyung Rak” and she’s been a certified personal trainer and a registered yoga teacher for over 25 years. Additionally, she worked as a fitness expert in Hawaii and has hosted her own health related television programs. Lastly, she has also served as a preventive health counselor for the Hawaiian Medical Service Association.
In 2010, Tess relocated from Hawaii to Santa Fe to pursue a Master of Arts in Counseling from Southwestern College. Tess received her MA degree in 2018 and also obtained a certificate in Human Sexuality from Southwestern College’s New Earth Institute. Specific counseling practices that she is trained in include:
- Mindfulness Stress Reduction & Meditation
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Movement & Yoga Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Seeking Safety
- Trauma Informed – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Matrix Treatment Model