Meet Dr. Naomi Pak
Licensed Clinical Psychologist | PSY35293
Background & Education
Dr. Naomi Pak (she/her) is a licensed clinical psychologist with extensive training in treating complex mental health conditions. She earned her PhD in Clinical Psychology from George Mason University in 2022, where she also completed her M.A. in Psychology in 2018. Her academic journey started with a B.A. in Psychology, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Miami in 2014. During her graduate studies, Dr. Pak specialized in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and concentrated on eating disorders, OCD, and the mental health needs of Korean American adolescents, refining her focus on cultural competency within evidence-based treatments.
Professional experience & advanced training
Dr. Pak completed her APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Illinois, gaining in-depth experience in two primary rotations: the Center for Eating Disorders and the Center for OCD and Anxiety. Here, she provided individual and group therapy as part of a multidisciplinary team supporting adolescents and adults with eating disorder diagnoses such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and OSFED. Additionally, at the Center for OCD and Anxiety, Dr. Pak received intensive training in Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) under the guidance of Dr. Patrick McGrath, a leading OCD expert. This experience provided her with a strong foundation in treating OCD, social anxiety disorder, and other anxiety-related disorders.
After her internship, Dr. Pak pursued her postdoctoral fellowship at the UCSD Eating Disorder Center for Treatment and Research. Working alongside registered dietitians, psychiatric providers, and nursing staff, she provided high-quality, evidence-based care in the Adult Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Program. She also helped develop and co-manage the OCD track, which allowed her to apply specialized skills in treating clients with co-occurring OCD and eating disorders. Her role as an OCD consultant to fellow providers enhanced her expertise in helping patients achieve sustainable recovery. Additionally, Dr. Pak worked in the trauma track, providing Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to clients with PTSD and leading therapy groups focusing on anxiety, perfectionism, and DBT skills.
Therapeutic Approach
Dr. Pak’s therapeutic philosophy is grounded in warmth, honesty, and active collaboration. Her style is open and direct, allowing clients to express themselves freely while ensuring they are co-creators in the treatment process. She incorporates humor and levity to balance the intensity of therapy while fostering a supportive environment that encourages clients to take ownership of their healing journey. As a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) therapist, she believes in equipping her clients with practical tools that empower them to tackle life’s challenges independently, aiming to help each person become their own therapist.
Dr. Pak values client feedback as a critical part of treatment, viewing therapy as a partnership where both therapist and client work together to set the course and goals of their sessions. She emphasizes that meaningful change involves more than conversation; it requires action, a principle that guides her practice.
Areas of Specialty
With advanced training in CBT, DBT, CPT, and ERP, Dr. Pak specializes in treating eating disorders, OCD, PTSD, and anxiety-related disorders, with specific expertise in the unique challenges that arise when eating disorders and OCD co-occur. She works with adolescents and adults, focusing especially on second-generation Korean American clients and those navigating cultural identity challenges. Dr. Pak’s background in culturally competent care allows her to create a safe, affirming space for clients from diverse backgrounds.
Professional Affiliations & Development
Dr. Pak is committed to professional growth, staying actively involved in the latest advancements in her field through memberships with the American Psychological Association, the Asian American Psychological Association, and the International OCD Foundation. She regularly attends conferences, participates in consultation groups, and engages in workshops to continually expand her knowledge and clinical skills.
Outside of therapy
When she’s not in the therapy room, Dr. Pak enjoys expressing her creativity through cooking and baking for friends and family, and she loves spending time outdoors nurturing her garden or picking out her newest plant at a local nursery. A lover of art, she finds joy in creative expression through painting and drawing. Dr. Pak also enjoys unwinding with long walks while listening to audiobooks and is an avid fan of reality TV, with Love is Blind and 90 Day Fiancé being two of her guiltless pleasures. A dedicated Swiftie, she’s always down to discuss Taylor Swift’s lyrics and lore at anytime. And, of course, as a dog lover, Dr. Pak never misses the chance to stop and pet every dog she meets!
Research & Academic Contributions
During her graduate studies, Dr. Pak’s research was deeply rooted in culturally competent, evidence-based practices for mental health recovery. Her projects examined barriers to recovery, focusing on the roles of emotion regulation and impulsivity in maladaptive behaviors. Highlights of her research include identifying barriers to eating disorder recovery through an adolescent development framework, studying the impact of impulsivity on negative emotions and eating disorder behaviors, and understanding the influence of social support on mental health outcomes for emerging adults.
For her dissertation, Dr. Pak created a conceptual model exploring the effects of acculturation mismatch and intergenerational cultural conflict among first- and second-generation Korean American parents and their adolescents. Her findings pointed to mental health challenges that arise from these cultural dynamics and low mental health service utilization in this community. She developed and tested the Korean Family Communications Program, an online parent-training prevention program designed to reduce mental health stigma, improve mental health literacy, and help parents navigate family conflicts.
Publications
Pak, K. N., Wonderlich, J., le Grange, D., Engel, S. G., Crow, S., Peterson, C., Crosby, R. D., Wonderlich, S. A., & Fischer, S. (2018). The moderating effect of impulsivity on negative affect and body checking. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 86, 137-142.
Pak, K. N., Nelson, J., Adams, L., & Fischer, S. (2021). Mixture modeling of non-suicidal self-injury and binge eating: Behaviors and motives. Behavior Therapy, 52(5), 1265-1276.
Byrne, C., Yedigarian, S., Lauritzen, H. C., Choi, L., Pak, K. N., & Fischer, S. (2024). The association between social media use and body dissatisfaction: Exploring a potential mechanism of action in an experimental design. Psychology of Popular Media, 13(3), 324-330.
Dissertation
Pak, N. (2022). Cultural adaptation of a prevention program for Korean American parents of adolescents (29169131) [Doctoral dissertation, George Mason University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Posters
Pak, K. N., Cuellar, A., Cheskin, L., Short, J., & Fischer, S. (November 2020). The impact of social support, perceived stress, and suicide bereavement on suicidal ideation and meaning in life in emerging adults. Poster presented at the 2020 ABCT Annual Convention, Philadelphia, PA.
Pak, K. N., Nelson, J., Adams, L., & Fischer, S. (November 2018). Mixture modeling on non-suicidal self-injury and binge eating: Similarities and differences in coping motives, eating disorder symptoms, psychiatric history, distress tolerance, and impulsivity. Poster presented at the 2018 ABCT Annual Convention, Washington, D.C.
Pak, K. N., Wonderlich, J., le Grange, D., Engel, S. G., Crow, S., Peterson, C., Crosby, R. D., Wonderlich, S. A., & Fischer, S. (April 2018). The moderating effect of impulsivity on negative affect and body checking. Poster presented at the 2018 AED International Conference on Eating Disorders, Chicago, IL.
Interested in working with dr. pak?
Dr. Pak’s private practice is located in the Clairemont area in San Diego, California. She offers in-person therapy for clients in her Southern California therapy office. Additionally, she provides evidence-based treatment via telehealth to people across the state of California. If you’re interested in working with Dr. Pak at The Impakt Institute, please schedule a free 15-minute consultation call through our contact page. We look forward to supporting you on your recovery journey!
