Meet Dr. Minji Yang, PH.D. at Banyan Behavioral Health in San Mateo, CA
Dr. Minji Yang specializes in helping clients navigate challenges related to college/graduate student mental health, stress from immigration, and racial identity. Using an integrative approach, Dr. Yang helps clients address current struggles and cultivate personal growth. Her therapeutic work focuses on understanding the impact of cultural, familial, and life experiences while empowering clients to create positive change in their lives. For more information, contact us or request an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 100 S. Ellsworth Ave, Suite 802, San Mateo, CA 94401. We serve patients from San Mateo CA, Redwood City CA, Burlingame CA, Foster City CA, Belmont CA, San Bruno CA, and surrounding areas.
Dr. Minji Yang, PH.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Speaks Korean
(she/her)
Table of Contents:
What did Dr. Minji Yang study during her Ph.D. at the University of Maryland?
What areas did Dr. Minji Yang focus on during her graduate studies?
Where did Dr. Minji Yang complete her doctoral internship, and where has she worked as a staff psychologist?
What therapeutic approach does Dr. Minji Yang use in her practice?
Dr. Minji Yang pursued her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology at the University of Maryland at College Park, where she trained to be a researcher and therapist to understand the role of culture in people’s lives and how to help people manage life challenges.
She graduated with a focus on college/graduate student mental health, Asian/Asian American 1st, 1.5, and 2nd generation immigrant stress and coping, international student mental health, and racial minority mental health.
She pursued these areas further while attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for her APA-accredited doctoral internship and worked as a staff psychologist for 2 years at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor’s Counseling and Psychological Services. She then transitioned to San Jose State University‘s Counseling & Psychological Services, where she currently works as a tenured counselor faculty and internship training coordinator.
“Seeking therapy can be a daunting and exciting experience. It can be scary to think of talking about personal experiences that you are struggling with and energizing to think about getting support to get through issues with a professional. I always think back to the time when I learned about what therapy meant and continue to marvel at the power of two people (therapist and client) joining hearts and efforts to help the client truly start to understand their deeper selves. I applaud you for seeking this service and welcome you to work with me together to co-create a safe space where we can help you achieve your therapeutic goals. I use a warm, collaborative, and integrative approach and pull from psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, and emotion-focused theories while attending to systemic and cultural factors. I will work to help you understand who you are today based on your multicultural factors, familial backgrounds, and younger experiences and work to help you cultivate who you want to be in the future. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!” – Dr. Yang
EDUCATION
● Doctor of Philosophy
(Counseling Psychology, School Psychology & Counselor Education)
University of Maryland
● Master of Arts
(Counseling Psychology, School Psychology & Counselor Education)
University of Maryland
● Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)
Mount Holyoke College
EXPERTISE
● Self-criticism
● Perfectionism
● Career burnout
● Family trauma and conflicts
● Identity explorations (minority stress related to immigration, transnational, sexual orientation/gender, and racial/ethnic identities)
PUBLICATIONS
● Yang, M., Perez-Rojas, A. & Miller, M. J. (2024). The interplay of friendship stress, social
support, and optimism on psychological distress in college students. Counselling
Psychology Quarterly.
● Perez-Rojas, A. E., Choi, N., Yang, M., Bartholomew, T. T., & Perez, G. (2021). Suicide
ideation among international students: The role of cultural, academic, and interpersonal
factors. The Counseling Psychologist, 49(5), 673-700.
● Miller, M. J., Yang, M., Hui, K., Choi, N., & Lim, R. H. (2011). Acculturation, Enculturation,
and Asian American college students’ mental health and attitudes toward seeking
professional psychological help. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 58(3), 346-357.
Send Text
How May I Help You?