Psychotherapy and Mental Health Counseling in New York | Asian & Asian American Therapists in New York

Ivy Chenghui Li, MA, MHC-LP

Psychotherapist

We accept most major commercial insurance plans, including Aetna, Wellfleet, Cigna, United Healthcare, Oxford, Oscar Health, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Carelon Behavioral Health, for residents of New York.

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Hello and welcome. Seeking help and starting therapy is a courageous move. I believe that oftentimes, our individual struggles have a systemic root that is beyond our control and perception, leaving us feeling confused, frustrated, and hopeless. In my practice, we will unpack these observations and overwhelming feelings, clarify and refine your roles and goals, and grow to be more resilient and authentic.

Coming from a background of mental health advocacy, non-profits, and community health, I worked extensively with individuals who face complex trauma, anxiety, depression, career challenges, and relationships issues. I use a relational psychodynamic approach and and pull interventions from CBT and DBT, meaning that I honor your personal history and your multiple identities, as well as our unique relationship in therapy, to listen and understand you as deeply as possible.

Top Specialties

Life Transitions

Relationship Issues

Self Esteem

Expertise

Anxiety

Career Counseling

Depression

Dual Diagnosis

Family Conflict

Grief

Obsessive-Compulsive (OCD)

Parenting

Peer Relationships

Racial Identity

I Work With

Individuals

Education

Columbia University

Licensure

MHC-LP LCSW State of New York / 18-P129673-01

About Ivy

  • My path to become a therapist is a reflection mirroring my own understanding and reaction to “doing justice”. As a sociology student during my undergraduate school, I am influenced by the philosophy that mental health difficulties do not reside within an individual but reflect societal problems such as injustice and inequalities. The social norms and expectations usually shape our values about what is normal and what is desirable. This belief had brought me enough confusion and frustration, wondering “what can I do about something so big?” , just as it brought me empowerment and passion to provide support to individuals and communities around me, to start wherever I could. In the past, I have worked as a community advisor in college for students; provided psychoeducation through podcast, workshops, and group activities in a mental health rehabilitation non-profit for those who struggle with mental health issues and their caregivers; and worked with BIPOC and immigrant communities at a community clinic here in NYC.

  • I value what’s being said in the room as much as I value our interaction with each other. In the first few sessions, I use a semi-structured style for us to gain a basic picture of the “what”: yourself and your concerns. I will ask questions about your concerns and goals in relation to other areas of your life such as family, relationship, cultural background, school experiences, and others. As we know better about your situation, we will talk about what to expect and what to work on in therapy together, preparing us to go into the “how” and “why”: a deeper understanding of your struggles and you as a person. In this process, we will discuss and explore how you came to be who you are today. We will talk about the influences of your past experiences on your self-image, emotions, and behaviors today, also considering how your intersectional identities like race, culture, gender affected you navigating life. Along the way, we will review and make necessary adjustments to therapy goals. It will be a collaboration to learn about what works and what does not work. When we end each session, I will reflect on today’s session to you and suggest some exercises to experiment with outside of sessions. Sometimes, we will also explore more concrete and solution-oriented strategies to cope with more immediate and pressing issues.

  • I enjoy working with clients who “show up” in therapy. Showing up both in terms of consistency and being engaged when we meet in sessions. Consistency helps us to maintain a therapeutic frame that gives us a sense of continuity and rhythm with time (we meet every week at the same time) and space (we see each at the same place most of the time). Showing up means that you are really curious about yourself and see therapy as an open place where we can not only talk about your concerns and struggles, but also talk about our progress and feedback as we go along.

  • I believe that therapy, although happening between two individuals, is inherently community-based. It’s really about relationships. Out of the numerous reasons that bring us into therapy, relationship seems to be at the core. We talk about relationships with family, partners, friends, colleagues, and more often than not, our relationships with ourselves. What essentially happens in therapy is that we explore and better adjust these relationships by developing a deeper understanding of self, others and the society, and put ourselves back into communities where we find our desires and needs in life.

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To verify your insurance coverage, please email us using the form below. For all other inquiries, we respond within 48 business hours.

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