Grace S. Kim
Chair, Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development
Clinical Professor
Clinical professor Dr. Grace S. Kim is the chair of the Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development Department at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.
Dr. Kim was trained in clinical psychology and researches social justice education and Asian American psychology. She explores how students understand the meanings of diversity; how to teach diversity and social justice effectively; and how to train future professionals to be more culturally humble and responsive. She also focuses on resilience and mental health of Asian Americans, centering their struggles for liberation, social agency, and solidarity with other marginalized groups.
Dr. Kim is the co-author of two books, Unraveling Assumptions: A Primer for Understanding Oppression and Privilege, and Teaching Diversity Relationally: Engaging Emotions and Embracing Possibilities. She holds a Fellow status in the American Psychological Association (Divisions 35 & 45) and the Asian American Psychological Association. She is the recipient of the 2023 Boston University Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year award.
Recent News
- Scholarly Accomplishments, February 2026
- Scholarly Accomplishments September 2025
- BU Wheelock Clinical Faculty Promoted
- Grace Kim Receives Provost’s Scholar-Teacher of the Year Award
- New Books Explore Relational Approach to Teaching Social Justice
- Leading Difficult Conversations
- Leading an Antiracist Classroom
- Two BU Wheelock Faculty Elected APA Fellows
In the Media
Education
PhD, University of Massachusetts Boston
MA, University of Massachusetts Boston
MAR, Westminster Theological Seminary
BA, Johns Hopkins University
Courses
CE 500 Introduction to Counseling
CE 737 Counseling: Philosophy, Theory, and Practice
CE 847 Theories of Group Counseling
HD 327 Asian American Psychology
HD 385 Psychological Trauma
Selected Publications
Kim, G. S., & Okubo, Y. (2025). Not your accessory: Exploring Asian American women faculty’s invisibility in academia. In C. Dobbs & C. Leider (Eds.). Until every woman is free: Equity and belonging in the academy through duoethnography. (pp. 111-132). Bloomsbury.
Kim, G. S., Shah, T. N., Songtachalert, T., Wong, L., & Rosenzweig, L. (2025). Existing as Asian/Asian American women: A collaborative autoethnographic exploration of racial trauma, coping, and resistance. Qualitative Psychology, 12(2), 269 288. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000334
Shah, T. N., Kim, G. S., Arcot, R., McFarland, G., Songtachalert, T., Chen, A., & Holt, M. K. (2025). Asian women in counseling psychology research: A systematic content analysis from 2000-2020. Journal of Counseling Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cou0000819
Kim, G. S., Yokoyama, K., & Tsong, Y. (2024). Asian American feminisms: An unapologetic and restive praxis. Women & Therapy. 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2024.2382016
Kim, G. S., & Suyemoto, K. L. (2024) Anti-racist and anti-oppressive pedagogy: Putting theory into action. In Chang, D. F., & Bryant, L. (Eds.). Transformative careers in mental health for Black, Indigenous and People of Color: Expert strategies to promote healing and social change in academia, clinical settings and beyond. (pp. 188-198). Routledge.
Tsong, Y., Kim, G. S., & Yokoyama, K. (2024). Introduction to special issue: Activism as the Asian feminist critical race (AsianFemCrit) praxis. Women & Therapy, 47(2), 157-176. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2024.2342191
Kim, G. S., Okubo, Y., Lee, M. R., Tolentino, J., Shah, T. N., & Yi, S. (2024). Making waves in academia: Asian/Asian American feminist mentoring as activism. Women & Therapy, 47(2), 225-250. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703149.2024.2342197
ElTohamy, A., Hyun, S., Rastogi, R., Finneas Wong, G. T., Kim, G. S., Chae, D. H., Hahm, H. C., & Liu, C. H. (2023). Effect of vicarious discrimination on race-based stress symptoms among Asian American young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological trauma: Theory, research, practice and policy, 10.1037/tra0001480. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001480
Suyemoto, K. L., Donovan, R. A., & Kim, G. S. (2022). Unraveling Assumptions: A Primer for Understanding Oppression and Privilege. Routledge.
Kim, G. S., Donovan, R. A., & Suyemoto, K. L. (2022). Teaching Diversity Relationally: Engaging Emotions and Embracing Possibilities. Routledge.
Selected Presentations
Kim, G. S., Chen, S., Arcot, R. R., Aradhya, P., & Wu, E. (2026, January). Looking back to move forward: Reflecting on ancestral narratives for empowerment. Roundtable presented at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit, Seattle, WA.
Kim, G. S. (2025, August). Toward intersectional feminist psychology: Building on the past, living the present, and envisioning the future [Presidential address]. American Psychological Association, Division 35. Presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Denver, CO.
Kim, G. S., Arcot, R. R., Chen, S., Wong, L., Rosenzweig, L., Khamis, J., Songtachalert, T., & Aradhya, P. (2025, August). Liberatory conversations: Honoring joy and authenticity as resistance in political dialogue. Interactive Session presented at the Asian American Psychological Association Convention, Denver, CO.
Kim, G. S., Suyemoto, K. L., Wong-Padoongpatt, G. (Chair), Nakamura, N., Chopra, S. B., Kim, J., & Tsong, Y. (2025, April). Feminist collaboratives as liberatory scholarly process: Re-orienting resistance. Symposium presented at the annual Association of Asian American Studies Conference, Boston, MA.
Kim, G. S., Okubo, Y., Songtachalert, T., Shah, T. N., & Aradhya, P. (2024, October). Between hypervisibility & invisibility: Asian American women faculty resisting oppression in academia. Symposium presented at the Asian American Psychological Association Convention, Atlanta, GA.
Aradhya, P., Arcot, R. R., Songtachalert, T., Shah, T. N., & Kim, G. S. (2024, October). Building bridges & breaking barriers: Tackling Asian/Asian American imposter phenomenon through community. Courageous Conversation facilitated at the Asian American Psychological Association Convention, Atlanta, GA.
Suyemoto, K. L., Kim, G. S, Kim, J., Wong-Padoongpatt, G., Tsong, Y., Chopra, S. B., & Nakamura, N. (2024, October). Feminist collaboratives as liberatory scholarly process: Journeys of resistance. Symposium presented at the Asian American Psychological Association Convention, Atlanta, GA.
Kim, G. S., & Suyemoto, K. L. (2024, August). Creating authentic classroom community: Early strategies for promoting transformative education. Skill-building session presented at the annual convention of American Psychological Association, Seattle, WA.