Educational Psychologist, Associate Professor of Psychology and Early Childhood Education, Author, Parenting and Teacher Strategist, and Child Advocate.
Dr. Kim views all children as our world’s greatest resource. She founded Abbey’s Purple Winged Angel’s Foundation to globally promote and support raising extraordinary kids, who become extraordinary adults, who live extraordinary lives. The foundation is a tribute to the precious life of Dr. Kim’s late daughter who left this world, March 15th in the year 2012. Abbey chose to leave this world because of one moment when her thinking was unhealthy and irrational. And yes, alcohol played a role in her decision. Medicating oneself to “feel good” is not the solution for any of us or our children.
Since the death of her daughter, Dr. Kim has dedicated her life in raising awareness about the critical impact that children’s self-perceptions have on their thinking and therefore their everyday behaviors, specifically when challenges arise. Dr. Kim reminds us that the perceptions we hold of ourselves, are dependent on four distinct psychological states which are our: 1) self-awareness skills, 2) self-images, 3) self-esteem, and 4) sense of self-efficacy. Together, these four internal psychological states form children’s self-perceptions. More importantly, Dr. Kim emphasizes that our self-perceptions are shaped by our parents, teachers, and any of our other primary caretakers, from the moment of our births throughout our childhoods.
The behaviors our primary caretakers model for us, and use with us provides us with extremely powerful information that we use as mental models for how to think about ourselves, others, and the world we live in. For example, self-perceptions can be positive or negative (e.g., I am capable versus I am incapable). Self-perceptions influence the type of thinking we have about situations, we can be optimistic or pessimistic (e.g., the glass is half full versus the glass is half empty).
Dr. Kim is a passionate, expert, and instructor on the impact of parent’s and teacher’s principles and practices on children’s development; and the ripple effect that children’s development has on their childhood thinking and behaviors and into their adult lives as, partners, parents, community members, and as human beings in the world. She has prepared over 8,000 professionals for work that respects and assists children in reaching their full potential.
Dr. Kim earned a baccalaureate and master’s degree in Psychology and Child Development from California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB), and a PhD in Educational Psychology, with an emphasis on Human Development through the Lifespan from Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
