Virtual therapy across New York State
A diagnosis, a plan, and a therapist who remembers what you said
I'm Dr. Anders Chan, a UCLA-trained licensed psychologist. By the end of our first session or two, you will know what is going on and what we are going to do about it.
I value efficiency. I aim to provide support, use simple words, and help you make the change you want. I don't want to waste your time or money.
Not sure yet? Email for a free 15-minute consultation first.
$200 per session private pay. Aetna, Cigna, Anthem BCBS, Carelon, Oscar, and Oxford accepted through Headway and Alma. Sliding scale spots available.
Why this practice exists
The most common complaint about therapy is not the price
It is the drift: the therapist forgot what you said last week, there was no plan, and months passed with pleasant conversation and no visible progress.
That is the part I built my practice against. You get diagnostic clarity early, in plain language. You get a written treatment plan with a direction and a rough timeline. And we check progress openly as we go, so if something is not working, we change it instead of coasting.
My style is collaborative. We are co-captains: you are the expert on your life, I bring the clinical training, and we make decisions together.
Built to end
Therapy that is not designed to keep you in therapy
Everyone in mental health gets paid per session, forever. Insurance reimburses visits, not recoveries. Nothing in that structure rewards getting you better efficiently.
I run my practice against that current. Diagnosis and a written plan up front, progress measured out loud, and discharge as the goal from day one. When you have what you came for, we end, and you leave with the skills. Some conditions genuinely need longer care, and I will tell you honestly if yours is one of them.
Run the math either way: a focused course of therapy at $200 a session that actually ends costs less than years of copays that never go anywhere. The goal is not to keep you as a client. It is for you to not need me, and to know someone worth sending your friends to.
Individual and couples
Two kinds of work
Individual therapy
Fifty-minute virtual sessions, usually weekly to start, for adults, adolescents, and children across New York. The work is active: you leave sessions with things to try, not just things to think about. DBT, ACT, CBT, EMDR, and psychodynamic approaches, chosen for what your situation actually calls for, through a culturally sensitive, gender-affirming lens. I'm fluent in Cantonese and work often with clients navigating family and cultural expectations.
Couples therapy
Most couples wait years too long, until the same fight has calcified into a loop both partners can predict and neither can stop. I use Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method to break that loop: understand what each of you is fighting for underneath the argument, rebuild trust where it cracked, and feel like a team again. My own path into psychology started with watching infidelity strain my family, so this work is not an afterthought.
Specialties
What I help with
Anxiety and worry
Constant what-ifs, overthinking, feeling keyed up
OCD
Intrusive thoughts and the rituals that eat your day
ADHD and executive functioning
Disorganization, missed deadlines, planning problems
Depression
Low mood, low energy, nothing feels worth it
Trauma and PTSD
The past keeps showing up in the present
Substance misuse
Drinking or using more than you want to
Relationship problems
Partners, family, friends, co-workers
Couples work
Communication, trust, infidelity repair, feeling like roommates
Neurodiversity and autism
Understanding how your brain works, not fixing who you are
Gender health and LGBTQIA+
Affirming care for identity and transition questions
Cultural and identity issues
Family expectations, belonging, living between cultures
Anger and stress
A shorter fuse than you want, burnout, work pressure
Don't see your concern, or want more options? Use the free matching tool to find a therapist ranked for your exact situation.
Complex combinations welcome
When you are more than one thing on that list
Most therapists specialize in one lane. That works fine until you live at an intersection.
A trans client with OCD whose intrusive doubt gets treated as identity exploration by the gender specialist, and whose gender gets tiptoed around by the OCD specialist.
An autistic-ADHD couple whose fights are two nervous systems missing each other, in front of a couples therapist who knows Gottman but not neurodivergence.
A Chinese client with BPD-pattern emotions handed worksheets built on a level of emotional disclosure their family would find alien.
Those intersections are my actual specialty. My training was deliberately wide: dual-orientation doctorate, placements in OCD specialty care, couples work, gender health, neurodiversity, and substance misuse, and a dissertation on adapting DBT for Chinese communities, chaired by the co-creator of adolescent DBT. Bring the whole combination. The treatment plan gets built around how the pieces interact, because that interaction is usually where the pain lives.
Approaches
How I work
The approach fits the problem, not the other way around. We pick the tools together, and I explain why in plain words.
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
Skills for intense emotions, impulsive urges, and rocky relationships. Dr. Chan's doctoral dissertation, chaired by DBT-A co-creator Jill Rathus, focused on cultural adaptations of DBT.
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
Stop wrestling with thoughts you cannot control and start moving toward what matters to you.
CBT and behavioral activation
Change the thinking and behavior patterns that keep anxiety and depression running.
EFT and the Gottman Method (couples)
Research-backed couples approaches: de-escalate fights, rebuild trust, reconnect.
Psychodynamic therapy
Understand the older patterns underneath the current problem so it stops repeating.
EMDR and trauma-focused CBT
Structured trauma treatments so memories lose their grip.
Motivational interviewing
For substance use and habit change, without lectures or shame.
The process
What working together looks like
Free 15-minute consultation
A short call. You say what is going on, I tell you honestly whether I am the right person for it. If not, I point you somewhere better.
First session: goals and history
We map what brought you in, what you have tried, and what a win would look like.
Diagnostic clarity and a treatment plan
A plain-language explanation of what is going on, and a plan: which approach, what we will work on, and roughly how long it should take.
The work, with progress checks
Weekly sessions, skills to practice between them, and open reviews of whether it is working. When you have what you came for, we are done.
Fees and insurance
The honest math
Sessions are $200 for 50 minutes. Three ways people actually pay:
In-network
Aetna, Cigna, Anthem BCBS, Carelon, Oscar, Oxford, and others through Headway or Alma. You typically pay only a copay, often $20 to $60.
Out-of-network
Pay $200, get a superbill, and your PPO plan reimburses 50 to 80 percent. A session can net out around $40 to $100. Step-by-step guide.
Private pay
$200 flat. No insurance paperwork, nothing on your insurance record. Card, Venmo, or Zelle. Sliding scale spots by financial need.
About me
Who you would be working with
I started in biomedical engineering and realized relationships and communication were more interesting than the math. I volunteered on a suicide hotline, went through my own therapy, and earned my MS and PsyD at LIU Post, where my dissertation on cultural considerations in DBT was chaired by Jill Rathus, co-creator of DBT for adolescents.
I completed postdoctoral training at the UCLA School of Medicine and have spent six years treating clients across the lifespan. I also train other clinicians through supervision, didactics, and licensing exam prep, including building thePsychology.ai. Clients describe my style as affirming, inquisitive, and open minded. I will be direct with you, because being agreed with for months is not the same as being helped.
Also offered
Psychological testing
Full evaluations for ADHD, autism, IQ and giftedness, and learning differences, using instruments like the WAIS-5, WISC-V, and WIAT-4. Recent full evaluations have had the complete plain-language report delivered nine days after the first appointment, while much of the field quotes months. A typical full battery runs about five billed hours, roughly $1,500, against a national norm of $2,500 to $4,500. Read about assessment services.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does therapy with Dr. Chan cost?
Sessions are $200 for 50 minutes if you pay privately. If you have Aetna, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, or Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, you can book through Headway and pay only your copay, often between $20 and $60. A sliding scale is available in limited spots based on financial need.
Does Dr. Chan take insurance?
Yes, through Headway and Alma: Aetna, Cigna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Carelon, Oscar, Oxford, Meritain, and several others. If your plan is not in that list, you can pay privately and use a superbill to claim out-of-network reimbursement. Many PPO plans pay back 50 to 80 percent of the fee. See the insurance guide for the exact steps.
Is there a free consultation?
Yes. Dr. Chan offers a free 15-minute video or phone consultation. You describe what is going on, he tells you honestly whether he is the right fit, and if he is not, he points you to someone who is. No pressure either way.
Are sessions in person or virtual?
All sessions are virtual, over secure video, for clients located anywhere in New York State. Virtual therapy has the same evidence base as in-person care for most concerns, and it means no commute, no waiting room, and easier scheduling.
What happens in the first session?
You talk about your goals and history. By the end of the first or second session you get two concrete things: diagnostic clarity, meaning a plain-language explanation of what is going on, and a treatment plan, meaning what we will do about it and roughly how long it should take.
How long does therapy take?
It depends on the problem and the goal. Some focused problems respond in 8 to 16 sessions. Deeper patterns take longer. Dr. Chan values efficiency and reviews progress with you openly, so you are never in therapy on autopilot. If you are not improving, the plan changes.
Does Dr. Chan work with children and teens?
Yes. He has worked across the lifespan, from children and adolescents through adults and older adults, including school refusal, parent-child conflict, and adolescent DBT skills.
What is couples therapy like, and does insurance cover it?
Couples sessions use Emotionally Focused Therapy and the Gottman Method: structured approaches for breaking the fight cycle, rebuilding trust after betrayal, and reconnecting. Insurance sometimes covers couples work when one partner has a diagnosis being treated; the consultation call is the fastest way to check your specific situation.
Why are there no client reviews or testimonials on this page?
Psychologists follow an ethics code (APA 5.05) that prohibits asking therapy clients for testimonials, because of the power difference in the relationship. So instead of quotes, this page tries to give you the real information: exact prices, exactly what happens in session one, and a free consultation so you can judge the fit yourself.
What if Dr. Chan is not the right fit for my problem?
Then he will say so, usually in the free consultation. Some concerns, like active eating disorders or conditions needing weekly in-person care, are better served by a specialist. You can also use the therapist matching tool to find a clinician matched to your needs, location, and insurance.
The consultation is free, and so is finding out I'm the wrong fit
Fifteen minutes. You talk, I listen, and you leave with either a plan to start or a pointer to someone better suited. Either way you are further along than you are right now.
Not sure yet? Email for a free 15-minute consultation first.
Prefer to compare options first? Get matched with a therapist based on your needs, insurance, and preferences.