Sherilyn Cho

Aloha! My name is Sherilyn Cho and I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Hawai’i, as well as a National Certified Counselor (NCC), having worked as an Intensive In Home therapist, a skills trainer within the school setting, and currently working with clients via telehealth. I work with adolescents and adults specializing in self-esteem, stress, anxiety, coping with life changes, communication in relationships, and family conflicts. I utilize the therapeutic approaches of Client-Centered Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to provide support and encouragement through a collaborative approach with clients in recognizing their strengths and full potential.

My approach

I put focus on a collaborative therapeutic approach with clients in being able to most appropriately understand and find what best fits the needs of each client. I most often incorporate the use of Client-Centered Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. These approaches help in bringing out aspects of the client that is strength based, elevate their self-esteem and confidence, and build upon different ways of looking at challenges in life.

My focus

I have experience working with children, adolescents, and families in helping them to navigate the challenges in their lives and the understanding that everyone deals with their own personal issues that can make the day to day of life difficult at times. I am currently working with young adults who may be dealing with life changes and transitions, as well as stresses and conflicts that abound in life. These often showcasing themselves through overwhelming stress, anxiety, depression, lack of self-esteem and self-confidence, and difficulties expressing their feelings and emotions, alongside communication with others.

My communication style

My communication style is calm, being present, providing an outlet for the client to be heard and feel they can express what they are feeling and thinking, and accommodating to meet the client where they are at. I want my clients to feel comfortable sharing whatever is on their mind and being able to understand and process through experiences that have impacted them in ways that hinder their ability to continue growing and learning about themselves. I am here to listen with an open mind and know that everyone has their own way of coping and handling what may be stressful in their personal lives.

My journey to mental healthcare

I've always found myself connecting with others as someone to be a listening ear when people just needed to express and let out emotions and be someone they felt comfortable talking with. I like being able to help people in how I connect with them that lets them see their strengths and positive qualities and how it can impact how they want to live their lives and be able to confidently tackle challenges and obstacles that come their way. I decided to become a therapist so that I could provide guidance, understanding, and support to those who struggle with life's difficulties and help them through what we all go through but just understanding that everyone handles things differently. I wanted to be able to have people see other ways of looking at mental health and actually learning more about what that encompasses as human beings living a purposeful and meaningful life. Also, to be accepting that reaching out for help or just connecting with a person to process what we are feeling and thinking can be very elevating and provide a way to not feel so lost or unable to navigate life in the best means possible.

My goals for you

My approach to goal setting with clients is understanding how they have been feeling lately and be able to talk through what they are wanting to work through, process, and accomplish during their time in therapy. This comprises of building rapport between therapist and client, gaining comfortability in how to navigate the therapeutic process, as well as utilize sessions that suit the client's accommodations to attain the support and guidance that they are seeking.

My first session with you

The initial session will be a time to share and learn more about what brings you here to therapy and how you've been feeling as of recently. Also, to be able to address what you hope to attain out of the therapeutic process, and get a sense of connecting between client and therapist. This is a time for clients to be able to gain a sense of comfortability within the session towards ways of working together, how they want to use their time to address specific concerns, be heard, and be able to unload whatever they are going through and know they have someone to reach out to.