Ling Jin
Ling Jin (she/her) is a Clinical Mental Health Counseling intern currently pursuing her master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also holds a Master of Arts in East Asian Studies from Duke University, with a focus in cultural studies and anthropology. Prior to transitioning into the mental health field, Ling spent over eight years working in nonprofit and higher education settings, where she developed a strong passion for supporting and advocating for international students, immigrants, and other historically marginalized communities.
As a first-generation immigrant from China, Ling understands the grief, loss, and loneliness that often accompany the immigration experience, along with the quiet pressure to hide parts of oneself in order to feel safe in social spaces. As a parent, she has also experienced firsthand the complexities of raising a child biculturally when family support is limited. Through her work with international students, Ling was honored to hold stories of anxiety, homesickness, and heartbreak, alongside joy, growth, and reclamation. During this time, she became deeply aware of the shortage of bilingual therapists who truly understand the lived experiences of historically marginalized communities. These experiences shaped her path into the mental health field and continue to guide her commitment to supporting immigrants, international students, and their families.
Ling approaches counseling from an integrative perspective, drawing from mindfulness, relational therapy, family systems theory, existential-humanistic theory, and acceptance-based approaches. Grounded in the belief that healing happens through meaningful connections, Ling views the therapeutic relationship as a space where clients can feel safe, seen, and supported as they explore and practice new ways of relating to themselves and to others. With the understanding that many of the challenges we face are shaped by the families, cultures, and systems we are part of, she works collaboratively with clients to name and explore these influences, clarify values, and move toward meaningful and sustainable changes.
Ling offers therapy in Mandarin Chinese and English. She is passionate about supporting individuals, couples, and families as they navigate neurodivergence, disabilities, parenting concerns, immigration-related experiences, life transitions, trauma, grief, and loss—not as a clinical specialist, but as a fellow traveler walking alongside them on their journey through this world.
