Psychodynamic Therapy in NYC

You’ve spent your life living up to others’ expectations. But you’re not sure what you want for yourself.

Psychodynamic therapy in Manhattan for people shaped by cultural and family expectations who struggle with identity, knowing what they feel, and understanding what they want.

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Charlene Zhen, LMSW, Asian American psychodynamic therapist in Manhattan

Hi, I’m Charlene.

Life can be overwhelming, demanding, and confusing. On the surface, you appear capable and successful. You’re doing everything right. But underneath, you feel anxious, burnt out, or disconnected. You move from one achievement to the next without pausing to feel satisfied, and when there’s no clear next goal, you feel aimless or lost. You’re not sure what you actually want or who you are when no one’s watching.

I work with people who’ve spent their lives being capable, meeting expectations, and showing up for others but somewhere along the way lost touch with themselves. Many of my clients are Asian Americans and adult children of immigrants navigating family pressure and cultural expectations. Others are eldest daughters, late-diagnosed neurodivergent adults, people in life transitions, or couples exploring how these patterns show up in their relationship. What they all share though is that they’ve been doing what’s expected of them rather than what they actually want, and now that they have achieved what should feel like success, they’re realizing they don’t know how they feel or who they are underneath it all.

Together, we explore how you got here, what’s been driving these patterns, and what becomes possible when you reconnect with yourself.

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My Approach

I offer psychodynamic therapy: reflective, exploratory, and culturally informed work that helps you understand how emotional and relational patterns formed and how they continue to shape your life today.

My approach is collaborative, patient, and non-judgmental. It helps you understand how patterns formed, explore what’s happening now, and develop greater freedom in how you live and relate. This is not about quick fixes or trying to ‘fix’ you. It’s about noticing recurring themes, making sense of what drives your reactions, and developing a stronger sense of self, direction, and agency in your life.

This work takes time and patience. But as patterns become clearer, you’ll have moments of recognition, relief, and deeper understanding. I create a space that’s curious and safe, where you can take your time figuring out who you are.

For many people, this means discovering patterns they hadn’t noticed: how much energy goes into meeting expectations, managing perception, or performing competence. How little space there’s been to ask what do I actually want? or how do I actually feel?

What you can expect from our work together:

Understand the patterns driving your choices and reactions
Reconnect with feelings you’ve been disconnected from
Develop clarity about what you actually want for yourself
Address people-pleasing, guilt, and difficulty setting boundaries
Explore how family dynamics and cultural expectations have shaped you
Build a stronger sense of self, separate from others’ expectations
Gain more freedom and agency in how you live and relate

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Common Questions

I work with people who’ve been shaped by cultural and family expectations and are realizing they don’t know what they want for themselves. Many of my clients are Asian Americans, children of immigrants, eldest daughters, or people navigating major life transitions who are discovering patterns of people-pleasing and doing what’s expected rather than what they actually want.

People come for anxiety, burnout, relationship conflict, life transitions, or feeling like something’s missing. They might be struggling to set boundaries, feeling stuck in the same relational patterns, organizing their life around what others need, processing a late ADHD or autism diagnosis, or feeling disconnected from themselves despite looking successful on the outside.

Psychodynamic therapy is about understanding why you feel and react the way you do. We explore how your past experiences, family dynamics, and emotional patterns influence your present life. It’s reflective, exploratory work. Rather than focusing only on managing symptoms or quick fixes, we work toward deeper self-understanding. Change happens as patterns become clearer and you gain more freedom in how you live and relate.