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Jody Zhong
About
Hello there! It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jody Zhong, and I'm a psychologist licensed in my home state of Pennsylvania. I am also able to see out-of-state clients virtually through PSYPACT. I identify as a second-generation Chinese American immigrant who grew up in a working-class environment. As such, I care deeply about creating safe, affirming spaces for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ clients, especially those who are reaching out for mental health services for the first time. I know that reaching out for an autism assessment as an adult can come with so many emotions: hope, anxiety, self-doubt, relief, and even frustration or grief that it's taken this long to get answers. I also know that mental health stigma, stereotypes, and other social barriers can stand in the way of getting a proper diagnosis. My goal is to create a comfortable environment for you to share your experiences, to help you make sense of those experiences, and to provide you with next steps for how to move towards a more authentic life.
My passion for working with neurodivergent clients comes from both professional and personal experiences. I've had the privilege of working with adult clients whose neurodivergence flew under the radar for years due to past providers "not seeing autism" in them, or whose behaviors were misunderstood by family and friends as "rude, cold, and inconsiderate." I also have close relationships with several individuals who came to diagnoses of autism and ADHD later in life. For both my clients and my loved ones, presenting in ways that did not meet the stereotypical profile of a person with autism - such as identifying as a person of color, a woman, and/or part of the LGBTQ+ community; engaging in masking or compensatory behaviors; or being considered "high-functioning" - inadvertently led to delays in them getting the help they needed. With my training as a psychologist, I want to help broaden access to accurate assessment and resources for folks who suspect neurodivergence is part of their lived experience.
I see psychological assessment as a process that will hopefully leave a client feeling validated and empowered by self-knowledge. Too often, conventional views of autism frame neurodivergent ways of thinking and communicating as "wrong" or "deficient," and having to follow unspoken societal or cultural scripts leaves neurodivergent folks feeling exhausted, confused, and shamed. My goal is to help both of us understand who you really are and what comes naturally to you, and to reframe those ways of being as simply expressions of diversity or even unique strengths.
