School of LifeㅣActive Learning Center Records Archives

2015 The Tree Group Co. relocates to Songpa Campus

“The Tree Group Co. moved to Songpa Campus and
welcomed many adults, children and young adults in a more pleasant space.”

The Tree Group Co. moved to Songpa Campus and welcomed many adults, children and young adults in a more pleasant space. It is now relocated to the 12th floor of the building with a garden, allowing the clients to breathe in the nature. We look forward to running multi-disciplinary psycho-educational programs in the garden.

2013 Established “The Tree Group Co.”

“Dr. Cho and the Tree Group became ‘the Tree Group Corporation after 10 years.”

In 2013, the Tree Group became ‘the Tree Group Corporation” and expanded its bilingual psychological services after being in Korea for ten years.

As a group of experts from psychology, education and social science, the Tree Group Co. provides corporate and individual consultation, classes for professionals, English/Korean psychological services, evidence-based psychological research, forensic psychological services, psychological evaluation, publication, and psycho-educational programs for K-12 bilingual children and young adults.

2013 Visiting international schools in Shanghai, China

"Discussions on how to best support the students in international schools
who struggle to adjust to a new culture and language".

In January 2013, the clinician team of the Tree Group visited international schools in Shanghai, China. At the time, many Korean expatriates and their families moved to China. Due to the immigration, children had to adjust to English-speaking environments and the lifestyle in China, and such language and cultural barrier led to academic struggles. Consequently, the children relied more and more on private tutoring, which developed into secondary symptoms such as depression, anxiety, distress, inattentiveness and behavioral disorders.

The Tree Group’s clinician team visited Shanghai Community International School and Concordia International School Shanghai and met counsellor teachers to discuss the grave reality the children face at schools and how to best support their psychological and behavioral problems. Many international schools refer multicultural students with such difficulties to the Tree Group and we continue communicating with schools to provide professional support.

2010 The Tree Group established its “Active Learning Center”

"Establishing Active Learning Center to provide psycho-educational programs
for English/Korean bilingual children and young adults."

The Tree Group established “Active Learning Center”, which involves psycho-educational programs for English/Korean speaking bilingual children and young adults.

Children who were exposed to English-speaking cultures due to immigration. Children who can speak Korean fluently but cannot adapt to English-speaking schools and cannot progress academically. Children with behavioral difficulties, depression, anxiety, inattention, lack of motivation after having several years of private tutoring. We deeply understand the suffering these children and the parents must have.

The Tree Group’s Active Learning Center program is a unique program that develops psycho-educational treatment goals based on evidence-based psychological treatments. This is where the children who could not speak can speak, acquire languages and mathematical knowledge, and dream of going to universities.

2010 China Shanghai, Lecture on how parents can better support their child

"How can I raise my child successfully?
Discussing the possible issues that parents face when raising their child in a multicultural environment."

It is a very unique experience for Korean parents when they live in another country and raise their child in a culturally and linguistically unfamiliar environment.  Just like most immigrants, many parents have difficulties adjusting to their new environment.  However, they often forget that it is much more complex and troubling for their child to go to an English speaking international school in China. 

The triple cultural exposure, (Korean, American and Chinese) can be beneficial if parents understand what their child will experience within the triple cultural environment and know how to guide them. 

In November 2010, Dr. Cho visited Shanghai to lecture about the uniqueness of a child’s identity, their language preference issues, parents’ language dilemma and difficulties and how to cultivate a deep sense of emotional connection. The importance of the father’s role in child reading in a multicultural environment will also be discussed in addition to the issues of many Korean mother’s struggles.

2008 Dr. Marsha Linehan’s DBT Seminar, hosted by the U.S. Embassy

"The DBT Center of Korea (under the umbrella of the Tree Group) invited Dr. Marsha Linehan and
initiated the DBT Workshop. With the U.S. Embassy’s support, Dr. Cho hosted an official DBT seminar."

The DBT Center of Korea (under the umbrella of the Tree Group) invited Dr. Marsha Linehan and initiated the DBT Workshop. With the U.S. Embassy’s support, Dr. Cho hosted an official DBT seminar.

Dr. Marsha Linehan explained the effectiveness of DBT in suicide attempts. It was a great opportunity for professionals from various organizations in the U.S. and Korea to come together and to discuss how to protect lives.

2008 Lectures about bilingual Korean students organised by Embassy of the United States in Seoul

"The United States Embassy hosted lectures
to give advice on the issue of children's mental health from studying overseas."

JoongAng Daily by Moon Published July 23, 2008

The United States Embassy invited a U.S. licensed psychologist, Dr. Cho to give lectures on the issue of how moving abroad affects children’s mental health. Many school professionals and parents are growing their interests in children’s language development, learning behavior and mental health, especially with an increase in the number of families who move abroad for various reasons.

In the lecture, Dr. Cho explained that children who move abroad and start living in new cultures can have developmental difficulties and language delays. He further elaborated on how the parents should give guidance for their children with those difficulties.

2003 Promoting Evidence-Based Psychological Services in Korea

"Promoting evidence-based Clinical Psychology services in Korea for bilingual and Korean individuals."

In 2003, Dr. Cho came back from New York and established the Tree Group in Korea.

Dr. Cho started to provide evidence-based psychological treatments in Korea, including DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), PE (Prolonged Exposure), and BT (Behavioral Therapy).

He started providing psychotherapy and comprehensive psycho-educational assessment for bilingual children and young-adults who had difficulties with language transfer.

For publications, Dr. Cho translated and published DBT Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Manual for Professionals, in order to help those suffering from borderline personality disorder.

2003 The New York Times highlighted the treatment work of Dr. Yong Cho

2003 Dr. Cho Yong-Beom, the psychologist highlighted in New York Times

"Freud meets Buddha: Therapy adapts to immigrants' need"

Dr. Yong Cho opened the Asian-American Family Clinic at the Zucker Hillside Hospital/Long Island Medical Center in New York and launched a specialized treatment program for Korean and Asian immigrants.

Dr. Cho studied Behavioral Therapy for symptoms of depression and anger through research on these immigrants’ cultural adaptation and psychological hurdles, and provided Dialectical Behavioral Therapy based on mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

He emphasized that patients and clients in Asia are in a unfriendly environment to receive therapeutic services due to a shallow understanding of psychosis that is different from what the Western culture understands it, and suggested where professional clinical treatment services should focus on based on his deep sympathy for this population.

His treatment services for people from various cultures were highlighted in the New York Times in 2003 as well as local media.

2001 Dr. Cho started the English/Korean bilingual services in the U.S.

In 2000, Dr Cho started the English/Korean bilingual services
for Korean immigrants and their children at the Zucker-Hillside Hospital / North Shore LIJ Medical Center in New York.

In 2001, Dr Cho started the English/Korean bilingual services for Korean immigrants and their children at the Zucker-Hillside Hospital in New York.

Dr. Cho successfully treated the Korean immigrants and their children. He identified that the most of conflicts within Korean immigrant families were always related to the academic performance and English language learning issues of the children.

His unique culturally and linguistically sensitive treatments drew the media’s attention, including New York Times.