Mengnan Lyu
(She/Her/Hers)
Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
Bilingual therapist helping international students, young professionals, and adults with anxiety, acculturation, stress, and self-esteem.
Starting over—whether in a new country, a different life stage, or a relationship transition—can stir up stress, isolation, and self-doubt. You might feel caught between cultures, stuck in anxious thought patterns, or uncertain about your next steps. As a bilingual (Mandarin-English) therapist, I provide a space where you can express yourself fully and feel truly understood. I work with individuals navigating cultural identity, immigration, workplace stress, and low self-esteem, as well as couples facing communication challenges, dating concerns, infidelity, or separation. Whether you're building a life together or trying to figure out what comes next, therapy can help you move through stuck points with greater clarity and compassion. My sessions are respectful, collaborative, and culturally attuned. I draw on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to support value-driven living and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to shift unhelpful thought patterns. We'll explore at your pace, in your language, and in partnership—grounded in care and openness.
Practice hours (EDT)
Accepts new patients after hospitalization for
- Substance use
- Manic episodes
- Self-harming behavior
- Suicidal intent or a plan
- Severe emotional stress or trauma
- Severe depression
- Suicide attempt
- Eating disorders
- Escalating reckless or impulsive behavior
Reserves times throughout the week for new clients after discharge from the hospital.
Adjusts scheduling to accommodate new clients after their hospitalization.
Areas of focus
Areas of expertise
- Abuse
- Academic Concerns
- Aging
- Alcohol Use
- Anger Issues
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Anxiety
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Avoidant Personality
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
- Binge-Eating Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Body Image
- Borderline Personality
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Bullying
- Burnout
- Career
- Childhood Abuse
- Chronic Illness/Pain
- College and School Placement
- Compulsive Exercise
- Conflict Resolution
- Dependent Personality
- Depression
- Disability
- Divorce
- Drug Use
- Eating Concerns
- Excoriation Disorder (skin picking)
- Family Caregiving Stress
- Financial Concerns
- Gambling Concerns
- Gaming/Internet Concerns
- Gender Identity
- Grief and Loss
- Histrionic Personality
- Hoarding
- Immigration/Acculturation
- Infidelity
- Insomnia
- Intimacy Concerns
- Life Transitions
- Loneliness/Isolation
- Men's Issues
- Narcissistic Personality
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Personality
- Other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED)
- Panic
- Paranoid Personality
- Peer Difficulties
- Perfectionism
- Performance Anxiety
- Personal Growth
- Personality Disorders
- Phobia
- Physical Assault
- Physical Stress
- Polyamorous relationship
- Postpartum Depression
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Racial Identity
- Racial/Cultural Oppression or Trauma
- Relationship Violence/Stalking/Harassment
- Relationship(s) with Friends/Roommates
- Relationship(s) with Parents/Children/Family
- Relationship(s) with Partner/Husband/Wife
- School Concerns
- Self-Esteem
- Self-Harm
- Sex Addiction/Pornography Concerns
- Sexual Assault
- Sexual Identity
- Sleep Concerns
- Social Anxiety
- Substance Use
- Suicidal Ideation
- Trauma
- Trichotillomania (hair pulling)
- Women's Issues
- Work/Life Balance
Age groups
- Young adults (18-30)
- Adults (31-64)
- Seniors (65 or older)
Special groups
- Immigrants
- Neurodivergent people
- People of color
- People who are bisexual
- People who identify as gay
- People who identify as lesbian
- People who identify as non-binary
- People with disabilities
- Professional Healthcare Providers
Treatment specialties
Therapeutic modalities
- Behavior Modification
- Couples Therapy
- Individual Therapy
Treatments
- Light Therapy
- Culturally-Sensitive Therapy
- Experiential Psychotherapy
- Mindfulness Training
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Coaching
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Person-Centered Therapy
- Behavior Therapy
- Relational Psychotherapy
- Somatic Psychotherapy
- Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy (IPSRT)
- Transference Focused Therapy (TFP)
- Positive Psychology
- Social Skills Training
- Eclectic Approaches
- Humanistic Therapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Motivational Interviewing
- Relationship Enhancement Therapy
- Process-Oriented Psychology
- Non-Violent Communication Process
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Insomnia (CBT-I)
- Body Image Therapy
- Integrative Body Psychotherapy
- Self Psychology
- Zen Therapy
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Feminist Therapy
- Anger Management
- Cognitive Restructuring
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Coaching
- Existential Psychotherapy
- Brief Psychotherapy
- Interpersonal Therapy
- Erikson/Psychosocial Development
- Reality Therapy
Location
Accommodations
Entering the practice
- Flat path to the front door
Getting around
- Wide hallways (36” or 90cm)
- Elevators
Remote options
- Video
Payment options
$200 — $225per session
Insurance
In-network coverage provided for the following insurance companies
- Aetna – New York
- AvMed – Florida
- Blue Cross Blue Shield – New York
- Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP) – New York
- Cigna – Florida
- Cigna – New York
- Optum – New York
- Optum – Florida
- Oscar – Florida
- Oscar – New York
- UHC – New York
- UMR-EAP – Florida
- UMR-EAP – New York
- United Health Care – Florida
- Out-of-pocket
- In-network insurance
- Documentation provided for patient filling
Payment methods
- Credit Card
- Debit Card
- Flexible Spending Account
- Health Savings Account
- Online
Credentials
Licenses
LMSW
113117-01, New York
LMSW
TPIC241, Florida
Certificates
Foundations of Motivational Interviewing
CUCS
Meeting the Challenges of Working with People Who have Borderline Personalities
CUCS
NYC Housing 101 Workshop
CUCS
Using the Stages of Change to Help Persons with Smoking Cessation
CUCS
Education
Columbia University School of Social Work
MSW (Master of Social Work), 2020
Beijing Normal University
BS (Bachelor of Science), 2018
Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management