Our Story

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Founded in 2018, Chicago Mental Health Institute (CMHI) was created with a vision to provide compassionate, culturally responsive, and accessible mental health care for diverse individuals, families, and communities.

As immigrants, multicultural families, and underserved communities often face unique emotional, relational, and cultural challenges, many struggle to find mental health services where they feel truly understood and respected. CMHI was founded to help bridge that gap by offering professional counseling services that honor each person’s culture, story, identity, and lived experience.

Founded by Dr. Oksoon Cho, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, counselor educator, and clinical supervisor with over 25 years of clinical and educational experience in South Korea and the United States, CMHI integrates clinical excellence with human connection, cultural humility, and community care.

Since its founding, CMHI has expanded beyond a counseling practice into a community-centered mental health institute dedicated to emotional wellness, professional training, community mental health research, and public mental health education. Through counseling services, workshops, outreach programs, counselor training, and community partnerships, CMHI seeks to strengthen both individuals and communities with compassion, hope, and meaningful support.

CMHI is also committed to improving public awareness of mental health and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness through education, advocacy, and community campaigns. One of our core community messages is:

“Let’s Care for Our Hearts Together”

This message reflects our belief that mental health matters for everyone and that healing becomes stronger when communities care for one another with understanding, compassion, and connection.

At CMHI, we believe healing begins when people feel safe, heard, valued, and understood.