I am a rehabilitation counseling researcher, educator, and licensed counselor whose work sits at the intersection of virtue psychology, virtue ethics, and disability studies. My scholarship centers on understanding how individuals not merely cope with chronic illness and disability, but genuinely flourish — developing wisdom, courage, integrity, and meaning in the process.
My primary contribution to the field is the development of the Virtue-Based Psychosocial Adaptation Model (V-PAM), a counseling framework that explains psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability through five interdependent virtue constructs. Alongside V-PAM, I developed the Adapted Inventory of Virtues and Strengths (AIVS), a psychometrically validated instrument for measuring these virtues in rehabilitation populations.
I currently serve as Program Coordinator for the Master's in Counseling – Rehabilitation Counseling Option at California State University, Los Angeles, a CACREP-accredited program. I am committed to training the next generation of rehabilitation counselors who bring both clinical competence and a strengths-based, virtue-informed perspective to their work.
A counseling framework that explains how individuals flourish and thrive following the onset of chronic illness and disability — grounded in Aristotle's virtue ethics and tailored for rehabilitation counseling.
V-PAM was developed to address a fundamental question in rehabilitation counseling: why do some individuals not only survive chronic illness and disability, but genuinely thrive? The answer, V-PAM proposes, lies not just in innate personality or coping style — but in virtue: the consistent, action-oriented pursuit of excellence and meaning in the face of adversity.
Rooted in Aristotle's virtue ethics and Fowers's (2005) interpretation of virtuous living, V-PAM identifies five interdependent virtue constructs that together characterize psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability (CID). Importantly, these virtues are not fixed traits — they can be nurtured and developed through collaborative rehabilitation counseling.
V-PAM factors are interdependent, non-linear, and non-stage-based. They work together in a reflective cycle.
V-PAM draws on four philosophical traditions to explain how people adapt, find meaning, and ultimately flourish following the onset of disability.
Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia — a flourishing life achieved through sustained, virtuous practice — shapes V-PAM's understanding that adaptation is a long-term process of character development. Flourishing does not require physical restoration; it requires committed engagement with one's actual circumstances over time.
Nietzsche's Übermensch concept challenges people to reject limiting narratives — including those imposed by medical systems, cultural expectations, and ableist assumptions — and actively define their own values and sense of meaning. In disability adaptation, this translates into the willingness to push back, take risks, and build a self-determined life.
Camus acknowledged that the universe offers no predetermined meaning — and argued that the authentic response is not despair or denial, but revolt: continuing to live fully while honestly confronting that reality. For people with disabilities, this shifts the question from why did this happen? to what meaning will I give my life going forward?
Both traditions recognize suffering as inherent to human life, rooted in attachment to desires that reality cannot fulfill. Applied to disability, this perspective encourages shifting from I must recover what I lost to how do I live well within my present reality — not as resignation, but as a wiser and more sustainable relationship with what cannot be changed.
These four traditions do not always point in the same direction — and that tension is precisely what gives V-PAM its philosophical strength. Aristotle addresses long-term character development within community. Nietzsche provides the courage to challenge norms when they constrain genuine growth. Camus offers tools for meaning-making when circumstances feel permanent or senseless. Schopenhauer and Buddhism offer the acceptance that keeps willpower from becoming self-destruction. Together, they form a framework that honors both the reality of limitation and the enduring human capacity for flourishing.
V-PAM operates from a capital V virtue perspective — the focus is not on identifying individual character strengths (small v), but on how character assets are deployed contextually and virtuously in the face of disability-related challenges.
V-PAM extends Wright's disability acceptance and value change model by providing an operational definition of values through virtue — bridging the gap between internal value change and externally observable, action-oriented behavior.
V-PAM is compatible with CBT, ACT, person-centered therapy, existential therapy, motivational interviewing, solution-focused approaches, and the Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (MTWA).
A psychometrically validated instrument that measures the five V-PAM virtue constructs through character traits. Complete the assessment below to receive your personal virtue profile.
Create a personal alias and 4-digit PIN to link this attempt to your history. Your alias is never tied to your real identity — choose something only you would recognize (e.g., BlueRiver22, SunriseHiker). Leave both blank to complete without tracking.
Your alias and PIN are stored only in this tool. No names, emails, or identifying information are ever collected. Remember your PIN — you will need it to view your progress.
Psychometrically refined via confirmatory factor analysis (Kim et al., 2022). Recommended for most users. Takes approximately 5–8 minutes.
Enter your alias and PIN to view how your virtue profile has changed across assessments over time.
Enter the alias and PIN you set when completing the AIVS. Both must match to access your results.
A program of research dedicated to understanding and promoting psychosocial adaptation to chronic illness and disability through virtue, character strengths, and virtue psychology.
My research program spans theoretical model development, psychometric instrument validation, cross-cultural adaptation, and empirical testing — all focused on how virtue and character strengths can be identified, measured, and nurtured in people with chronic illness and disability.
V-PAM has been empirically tested in multiple studies showing that virtue factors consistently differentiate psychosocial adaptation levels. Committed Action and Emotional Transcendence are the strongest predictors across all samples.
The AIVS has undergone rigorous EFA and CFA validation across two independent samples (N=464). The revised 25-item version demonstrates excellent model fit and has been validated in English and Korean.
A Korean validation study (K-AVIS) with N=1,121 adolescents demonstrated the cultural adaptability of V-PAM constructs. Cross-cultural validation remains an active area of ongoing inquiry.
Emerging efficacy studies are applying V-PAM to breast cancer survivors, mothers of adults with developmental disabilities, cancer patients' labor market outcomes, and vocational rehabilitation counseling.
Interested in collaboration or have questions about V-PAM research?
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For inquiries about V-PAM, the AIVS, research collaboration, or professional consultation.
Questions about V-PAM theory, AIVS instrument development, or ongoing research projects.
Dr. K is available for professional consultation on applying V-PAM and virtue-based approaches in rehabilitation counseling practice and training.
Interested in research partnerships, co-authorship, or integrating V-PAM into your program or curriculum? Reach out to discuss.
Dr. K will respond to your message by email. Please allow a few business days for a reply.
You may also reach Dr. K directly at [email protected]
Item Refinement for V-PAM Virtue Scale Development
This pilot study is part of an ongoing effort to develop a new virtue-based scale grounded in the Virtue-Based Psychosocial Adaptation Model (V-PAM). V-PAM proposes that psychosocial adaptation to disability and chronic illness is shaped by five core virtues: Courage, Integrity, Practical Wisdom, Committed Action, and Emotional Transcendence.
The goal of this pilot is item refinement — identifying which candidate items best capture each virtue before formal psychometric validation. Your responses will help us evaluate item quality through inter-item correlations and item-total correlations.
If you plan to complete more than one virtue section across separate visits, an alias and PIN allow your responses to be linked. Leave blank to respond anonymously without linking.