Hi there! I’m Clarice.

I am a BIPOC & LBGTQ+ Affirmative therapist.

This might not make sense right now, but fundamentally, when we do not know ourselves, and do not know how our past makes us who we are at present, our symptoms emerge.

And when we know ourselves —where we come from, how we became who we are today—we better understand what we need to do.

I can help you to know yourself best when you share anything and everything on your mind. I encourage you to speak freely, however the words can be seemingly irrelevant, weird, even socially inappropriate.

In return, I will also share everything on my mind, when I give you my feedbacks and reflections.

I pay attention to every single aspect of your speech — not only what you say, but also how you say it. I encourage you to pay attention to your choices of words, change of your energy levels, and your decision-making process as you choose to say something, or stay silent.

In doing so, I will be able to help you pierce together your thoughts and feelings, to help increase your self-awareness.

My work is an honest reflection of my own personal experience and growth.

We grow together in our therapeutic relationship.

Through many years of personal analysis, post-graduate studies and most importantly, clinical work, I am beginning to make peace with myself that there will be NO “perfect” therapist. We also come with our blind spots, naïveté, and biases.

For the past few years, my most important growth in doing therapy has many things to do with my growing ability to “break the silent harmony” and to confront my clients, to challenge them and to encourage them to go out of their comfort zones. That has not been the easiest thing to do with my first-generation immigrant background, as my the Chinese culture I grew up in, confrontation shall be avoided at all cost.

However, I am able to experience the excitement of growth and walk slowly out of my comfort zone. I empathize deeply with the difficulty to change, and I will be there with you every single step. I fully and humbly accept my imperfection as a therapist and I expect to grow together with you.

I am relational and reflective.

I believe that understanding yourself is the key.

Some of the questions/statements you may hear from me:

• What is the first thing that’s coming to your mind?

• What’s it like for you to tell me/ hear this from me/ be with me at this moment?

• Whose voice is this, when you tell yourself that you can never stop improving?

• What would you like to say to them, if you can be totally honest?

• What is stopping you being honest?

• I noticed that you chose to use this word when you described your friend. Can you tell me more about the choice of word?

• Sounds like you made a decision. Let us pay attention to your decision-making process.

I am experiential.

I pay attention to your non-verbal experiences, to help you access and process your feelings.

Therapy works best when we can put everything into words. However, verbalizing everything can be extremely difficult when you do not feel comfortable to do so, or you feel too disconnected with your experiences.

I am here to guide you through your somatic experiences, so that you can access and process your feelings, particularly when words alone aren’t helpful for you.

Some of the questions/statements you may hear from me:

• What are you experiencing right now in your body, and how are you becoming aware of it?

• I noticed you are quiet. I do not need you to tell me anything if you do not feel comfortable do so, however, I encourage you to pay attention to your needs. What are you expressing via silence?

• You chuckled when you are talking about this event which you describe as “very sad”. Let’s be aware of the discrepancy between your verbal and non-verbal expressions. What is going on here?

• When you were talking about your partner, I felt anger in my chest. I am curious what it’s like for you to hear from me, that I am feeling angry hearing you are treated as such?

I love experiments.

You can expect to do a lot of creative works with me.

Let’s talk about your random thoughts, fantasies, dreams, history you wish you could change, future you wish you can control. What it feels like to be the 10 years old child again? How life would’ve been different if you made a different choice?

But I won’t limit the work to there and then — we also talk about here and now.

I will also invite you to play with me. What is going to happen if you write a script for me and check in with me?

Some of the questions/statements you may hear from me:

• If you are writing the script for me, what do you think I will say to you, in response to what you just said to me?

• If you can speak to the 10-year-old self, how would you comfort that little kid that’s hurting?

• Let’s imagine that you need to literally do everything, everything you can to make sure you don’t disappoint your friend. Now, how that sits with you?

At the same time:

Learning skills is as important as knowing yourself.

But we aren’t just talking about your history to give you insight. Although you may feel worse before you feel better, I do not want you to leave your sessions feeling devastated and overwhelmed.

I hope you leave each therapy session with tools you can use to handle your emotions right now and as you move on, long after therapy has ended. When we talk about toolbox building, my approach is open, warm and creative, but it’s also based on evidence-based research.

Some of the questions/statements you may hear from me:

• I do not give casual homework assignments before I know you.

• If you are speaking to a 10-year-old child, how would you comfort that little kid that’s hurting? —now, can you say that to yourself? If you can not, what is going on?

• Can you feel my support here and now - and how you are able, or unable to accept it?

• Everyone is a soother and a soothed at the same time. Are you able to be the soother, and are you able to be the soothed?

What influenced my work?

Prior to becoming a therapist, I was a patient first. I remember what it feels like to be an anxious, angry, and depressed young adult.

I empathize with what you’re going through, but I want you to have hope, because therapy helped me change my life.

I am currently a Clinical Fellow at Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy in New York. Prior to that, I obtained my Masters of Social Work Degree from New York University, and psychoanalytic training from the William Alanson White Institute.

My work is a blend of psychodynamic therapy, existential therapy, humanistic therapy and experiential therapy.

I can work with individuals 18 and older in New York State. Online.

How Do Online Appointments Work?

I use HIPAA-complaint Zoom as our video conferencing platform. I will email you a link prior to our session.

I also conduct phone sessions for those who prefer to do so, or do not have access to secure internet connection.

I’m based in New York, and see many clients in my town, as well as all over the state. I’m also able to see clients for online therapy in Mainland China, as well as the State of Illinois.

I take my work very seriously, because I know you will too.

Anger, depression, anxiety, and OCD not only make you “less productive,” but they inhibit you from leading a fulfilling life.

You are curious about existential issues concerning death, choices, freedom, your identity, or the ultimate question: what do I want? I am no guru and cannot answer it for you, but I’m confident I can help you find your own answers.

I want to share some of my answers. I want to relate, love, and connect to fellow human beings in an authentic way. I want the same for you.