Paul Youngbin Kim
Professor of Psychology; Faculty Scholar for Living Well Initiative
Email: paulkim@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2987
Office: Marston 113
Education: BA, Calvin College, 2004; MA, University of Notre Dame, 2007; PhD, University of Notre Dame, 2010. At SPU since 2010.
Dr. Paul Youngbin Kim is a counseling psychologist with scholarly interests in psychological processes impacting Asian and Asian American communities. Specifically, he is passionate about making mental health services more accessible to Asian Americans. More recently, Dr. Kim has written about contemporary forms of racism (e.g., racial micro-aggressions) and their link to well-being among racial minority groups. He is also committed to highlighting the psychological experiences of sojourning individuals, such as international students or global nomads (e.g., children of cross-cultural missionaries).
Dr. Kim teaches Cross-Cultural Psychology, Advanced Research Methods in Cross-Cultural Psychology, and Counseling Theory and Practice at SPU. Regardless of the topic, in all of his courses, Dr. Kim enjoys creating a space for students to critically think about how culture relates to psychological theories and concepts, and how students can use psychology to serve the underserved and the marginalized.
Dr. Kim is Korean by birth but grew up in the Philippines as a child of cross-cultural missionary parents and identifies as a “missionary kid.” Although he has now lived in several different regions of the United States, Dr. Kim chooses to identify his local home, Seattle, as his hometown. Dr. Kim, his wife, and two daughters are active members of their Seattle church.
Selected publications
Kim, P. Y., Govender, M., Bau, K. E., & Chiangpradit, N. V. (2025). Racialized experiences and perspectives of international students enrolled in a Christian University: A preliminary qualitative analysis. International Journal of Christianity & Education, 21(1), 71-88. https://doi.org/10.1177/20569971241287201
Kim, P. Y. (2023). Internalized model minority myth, God representations, and mental health among Christian Asian Americans. Psychology of Religion & Spirituality, 15(3), 389–397. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000435
Kim, P. Y., Locke, M.A., Shakil, E., Lee, J.H., & Chiangpradit, N.V. (2023). Belief about Jesus’s race, implicit bias, and cultural correlates among Asian American college students. Journal of Psychology & Theology, 51(3), 333–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/00916471231161585
Kim, P. Y., Jin, J., & Bau, K. E. (2022). A mediator or moderator? Self-compassion’s role in the association between emotional self-control and help-seeking attitudes among Asian American college students. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 13(2), 185–193. https://doi.org/10.1037/aap0000248
Please view Dr. Kim’s CV (PDF) for additional publications.
Access Dr. Kim's writing here: https://paulyoungbinkim.com/