Meet Crystal Chen, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Specialties: depression, anxiety, emotion regulation, trauma, relationship/attachment concerns, and cross-cultural issues
Offering In-Person & Online Therapy
Getting to know Dr. Crystal Chen
How would you describe the way you work?
I enjoy working with adults and early career professionals who struggle with intense emotions and/or stressful relationships, and appreciate space to talk about identity. As a therapist, I don't believe in sitting back in sessions and being neutral - in fact, the opposite! I'll be myself - warm, curious, and transparent in our sessions to make sure you feel comfortable and understood. We'll go at your pace and I'll help guide us when it makes sense, so together we can explore and help you grow. I’ll help you make sense of your experiences, explore how things came to be, and develop more effective ways moving forward.
One of the reasons I’m a therapist is to help people heal from relational traumas. Together, we'll explore how past hurt, broken trust, or unpredictability in relationships may be affecting how you think, feel, and respond - often keeping you stuck when you’re ready for change. I'll encourage you to become more present and aware of yourself or your feelings in a curious, nonjudgmental way. I also enjoy teaching practical skills for navigating difficult relationships. We might use mindfulness and other techniques to help you slow down so you can respond to what life throws your way from a place of groundedness.
How do you approach culture and identity as a therapist?
As a Chinese American child of immigrants, I understand many of the unique challenges related to BIPOC and immigrant families, including discrimination, bicultural identity, cross-cultural issues, and family conflict. I also recognize how often we hide, silence, or change parts of ourselves to fit into the expectations others have of us. In therapy, I offer an affirming space where you can reconnect with your authentic self, reclaim your identities, and redefine your relationship with them in a way that feels true and empowering.
I am deeply invested in social justice and collective liberation, and recognize that our healing is inextricably linked to our broader contexts, including the conditions of our family, community, and Earth. I won't encourage you to simply adapt to oppression. Instead, I believe that what may seem like mental illness or dysfunction are often natural responses to abnormal conditions, signaling that things are not all right. I believe that we can honor these signs as guides toward meaningful change and collective well-being. I'll help you listen to your instincts and strengths. Our sessions can be a place where you can vent and rest, or where we can develop a plan. Together, we’ll work toward building the conditions necessary for you to thrive.
What can you help me with?
Anger
Anxiety (e.g., generalized anxiety, chronic worry, social anxiety, panic attacks)
Attachment issues and interpersonal dynamics (e.g., getting stuck in unhelpful patterns, processing the effect of past relationships)
Emerging and young adulthood (18 years old +)
Grief and loss (e.g., bereavement, unresolved childhood experiences)
Life transitions (e.g., relationship break ups, transition from school to workforce, becoming a parent)
Mindfulness
Multicultural identity (e.g., AAPI and Latinx identity, 1.5 and 2nd gen, bicultural identity, transracial adoptees, interracial families)
Neurodiversity-affirming therapy for autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, and neurocurious folks
Relationship stress (e.g., family relationships, dating in NYC, conflict, communication difficulties, boundary setting)
Self-esteem
Trauma (e.g., childhood abuse and neglect, sexual trauma, C-PTSD)
What types of therapy do you use?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Attachment-focused Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Mentalization Based Therapy (MBT)
Mindfulness based techniques
Multicultural Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Trauma-informed Therapy
What’s your session fee?
I am an out of network provider and my fee ranges from $225-275/session. As a therapist committed to equitable access to therapy, I have a small number of sliding scale spots that you can ask about.
Background & Professional Training
Crystal Chen, PhD completed her PhD and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Adelphi University, and earned her bachelor's degree in social work from NYU, where she graduated magna cum laude. She specializes in attachment-focused therapy where she helps adults understand the effects of early attachment and family experiences on present day relationships. Dr. Chen is also well versed in therapy for anxiety and depression, and uses Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and other specific approaches that strengthen emotion regulation, self-awareness, trauma processing, and relationship dynamics. She is deeply invested in helping adults talk through and heal from the effects of trauma, both personal traumas and intergenerational.
Dr. Chen has led grant-funded research on cross-cultural attachment issues and cultural conflicts within immigrant families, and is passionate about working with transracial Asian adoptees and the BIPOC community. She joins the practice with prior clinical experience in hospitals, community mental health, and private practice settings. Dr. Chen speaks Mandarin, loves aerial arts, anything matcha, and her Samoyed dog.
