Sujin Ma, MA

Sujin Ma, MA is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist (USA; BC-DMT #1464), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (CA, USA; LPCC #11592) and a PhD candidate in Expressive Therapies at Lesley University, Boston, MA. She has 8 years of clinical experience and specializes in trauma recovery through body-centered and expressive arts therapy. She is fluent in both Korean and English.

Where I grew up...

I was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. Following my bachelor’s degree in psychology and expressive arts therapy training in Korea, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in dance movement therapy in the United States because I discovered the unique value of body-based therapy and the creative process in the healing process. I’ve lived in several states across the United States, including California and Colorado, as well as other countries, including Thailand and India. As an Korean immigrant, I understand how difficult it is to adjust to change, and I have worked as a therapist with expatriates, immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.

My professional training

My training has been in a variety of clinical settings, including:

  • A residential mental health facility in Colorado for at-risk children and youth who have suicide or homicidal intent, plan, attempt, or self-harm behavior.
  • A non-profit in Colorado that provides mental health and academic support for immigrant high school students to go to and complete college.
  • A refugee resettlement center in Colorado that offers mental health and case management services to refugees from a variety of countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea, Congo, Myanmar, Nepal, and others.
  • A non-profit mental health clinic in California that provides mental health, case management, and housing services to people with severe mental/physical health conditions, immigrants, asylum seekers, human trafficking survivors, unhoused people, LGBTQ+, and people living with HIV. 
I have worked with trauma survivors from all ages, races, income levels, abled bodies, languages, LGBTQ+, unhoused persons, war victims, people living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, refugees, immigrants, and people from many different countries and religious backgrounds. And I am an Asian, Korean, a woman of color, and expat. 
 
I have learned that body-centered psychotherapy and expressive arts therapy are the most effective tools to help trauma survivors. Clients have gained a sense of safety, pleasure, and satisfaction in their lives as their control over their body and environment has strengthened through sensory awareness, relaxation, grounding exercise, movement exploration, arts making, creative writing, and talk therapy. My passion is to support you in building happier relationships with yourself and others. 
 
Are you ready to make a change? Let’s connect and we’ll get started on your journey together!

When I'm out of the office...

When I need to relax, I practice yoga, Pansori (Korean traditional opera), and the sitar (Indian traditional instrument).

quotation marks

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.

– Carl Rogers