Contact Information

Biography

ZiYoung Kang, Ph.D., NCC, is an Assistant Professor in the Counselor Education Program at Duquesne University. She earned her Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Pennsylvania State University in 2014. She subsequently pursued additional degrees in Won-Buddhist Studies and was ordained a Kyomu (a Won-Buddhist minister) at the end of 2020. 

Her research focuses on three areas. The first is the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions in promoting psychological well-being. Her scoping review, "Bridging the Gap Between Contemporary and Buddhist Definitions of Mindfulness" (Mindfulness, 2026), identifies differences between contemporary and Buddhist conceptualizations that are commonly discussed in the literature. Through an interpretive synthesis of these differences, it proposes a four-component process model of mindfulness applicable across diverse populations, regardless of practitioners' religious or spiritual backgrounds. Building on this model, she is developing and validating the Mindfulness in Action Inventory and conducting a randomized controlled trial of an online mindfulness-based intervention.

The second area is helping individuals and communities navigate conflict, address the root causes of prejudice and bias, and foster meaningful collaboration across differences in beliefs, values, ideology, and identity. Her work emphasizes dialogue and advocacy as pathways toward these goals, particularly within counselor education. Her current projects include a scoping review of pedagogical approaches to resistance and conflict in multicultural counseling education, and work on using mindfulness to navigate heated discussions in multicultural counseling courses.

The third area, fostering the academic, career, and social/emotional development of diverse student populations, grows out of her practice. Drawing on her training as a mental health counselor, she has over 10 years of experience in developing and implementing mindfulness-based educational mentoring programs for K-12 and college students. Her role involved not only counseling student mentees and supervising mentors but also teaching and coordinating the partnership among schoolteachers, parents, and college student mentors to maximize the student support and program effectiveness.

As a mindfulness meditation practitioner for over 17 years, she has also taught mindfulness and meditation to children and adults from various religious backgrounds in workshops and other settings.

Education

  • Ph.D., Counselor Education and Supervision, The Pennsylvania State University, 2014
  • M.A., Educational Counseling, Seoul National University, 2008
  • B.A., Education, Seoul National University, 2006
  • B.S., Earth Science Education, Seoul National University, 2006

CV

School

Kang, Z., Choi, Y., Ahn, G., *Blackwell, L., *Bryan, P. A., *Lee-Chong, E., & Glymour, M. (2026). Bridging the gap between contemporary and Buddhist definitions of mindfulness: A scoping review. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-026-02979-4

Kang, Z., Robinson, J. N., Srsic, A., & Green, B. (2026). Using mindfulness to address burnout and compassion fatigue in vocational evaluation. Vocational Evaluation and Career Assessment Professionals (VECAP) Journal, 21(1), 48–65.

Lemberger-Truelove, M. E., Li, D., Kim, H., Hill, D. D., Dickson, R., & Kang, Z. (2026). School mental health interventions for adolescents: A meta-analysis of effectiveness and relevant moderators. Adolescents, 6(1), Article 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents6010006 

Kim, H., Lemberger-Truelove, M. E., Kim, S. R., Kang, Z., & Bang, N. (accepted pending minor revisions). The role of hope and school connectedness in life satisfaction: Implications for school-based bullying interventions. Counseling Scholarship & Practice in Educational Communities.

* Indicates doctoral student co-author.
Kim, H., Um, B., & Kang, Z. (In Press). Quantitative methods and approaches in professional counseling research. In C. Storlie & H. Woo (Eds.), Principles of Professional Counseling Research: A Guide for Graduate Students & Practitioners. Routledge.

Balin, E., & Kang, Z. (2018). Advancing social justice by advocating for decent work. In C. C. Lee (Ed.), Counseling for social justice (3rd ed., pp. 65–86). American Counseling Association Foundation.

Trusty, J., Niles, S. G., & Kang, Z. (2016). A practical approach to career assessment in schools. In B. T. Erford (Ed.), Professional school counseling: A handbook of theories, programs, and practices (3rd ed., pp. 407–418). PRO-ED.

Kang, Z., & Gottfredson, G. D. (2015). Environments: Diversity in theoretical foundations of career intervention. In P. J. Hartung, M. L. Savickas, & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), APA handbook of career intervention, Vol. 1. Foundations (pp. 159–185). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14438-010 

Kang, Z., & Gottfredson, G. D. (2015). Using Holland’s theory to assess environments. In P. J. Hartung, M. L. Savickas, & W. B. Walsh (Eds.), APA handbook of career intervention, Vol. 2. Applications (pp. 41–56). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14439-004
Kang, Z. (2026, October). Bridging the gap between contemporary and Buddhist definitions of mindfulness: A scoping review [Paper presentation]. International Conference on Mindfulness-Asia Pacific, Seoul, Korea.

Kang, Z., *Bryan, P. A., & *Lee-Chong, E. (2025, October). Mindfulness in action: Navigating heated discussions in multicultural counseling courses [Poster presentation]. Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) Conference, Philadelphia, PA.

Green, B., Kang, Z., & Robinson, J. (2025, October). Implementing mindfulness to improve emotional regulation on the job [Poster presentation]. Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) International Conference, Denver, CO.

Kang, Z., & Green, B. (2025, March). Using mindfulness to improve emotional regulation in transitioning students [Poster presentation]. Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Convention & Expo, Baltimore, MD.

Kim, H., & Kang, Z. (2025, March). Theory-informed school counseling practice [Roundtable discussion]. 10th Annual Conference of the Korean Counseling Association International Chapter, Orlando, FL.

Gottfredson, G. D., & Kang, Z. (2022, March). Using the Holland typology to quickly assess career personality [Webinar]. Asian Pacific Career Development Association.

Kang, Z., Jo, Y., Matsuda, S., & Baek, C. (2020, December). Youth and global citizens: How can we promote global citizenship education for our future? [Session moderator]. Interfaith Coalition Conference for Global Citizens 2020. Seoul, Korea.

Sa, Y., Nam, K., Hwang, S., & Kang, Z. (2020, September). The future of the movement for the United Religions [Panel member]. Seminar Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Proposal for the United Religions. Seoul, Korea.

* Indicates doctoral student co-presenter.