Lizhen Yan , LMFT

Lizhen Yan is a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) based in New Jersey. She helps people manage stress, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression. She also supports those facing relationship strain and family-related challenges. Sessions are offered in English and Mandarin.

Yan blends practical techniques with listening. She uses approaches like Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, cognitive behavioral ideas, and emotionally focused work to help people notice patterns and try new ways of responding. Conversations focus on what is happening now and what small changes might feel doable.

Her background includes five years of clinical practice as an MA LMFT and a Florida LMFT credential. That experience contributes to a straightforward style that centers the person in front of her. She discusses values, behaviors, and emotions in plain terms.

She pays particular attention to issues tied to attachment, abandonment, adoption and foster care, blended family concerns, and caregiver stress. Other focuses include communication problems, codependency, commitment worries, and forgiveness work. Those topics often come up alongside anxiety or depression.

Sessions can move between individual work and sessions that involve relationship dynamics when that helps reach goals. The aim is practical progress - clearer communication, steadier mood, and choices that align with each person’s priorities. Yan aims to create a calm, respectful space for that work.

Approaches that translate well to online work

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people clarify what matters to them and take small actions toward those values. It focuses on noticing thoughts without getting stuck and building steps that feel meaningful, which can help with anxiety and low mood. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) breaks down unhelpful thinking and behavior patterns into manageable pieces and teaches practical skills to change them. This approach is useful for stress, worry, and mood problems. Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) concentrates on understanding and reshaping emotional responses in close relationships. It helps people identify emotions and try new ways of relating when communication and connection feel strained.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. The therapist collaborates with each person to pick or combine methods that match their goals, needs, and preferences. Together they check what is working and adjust the plan over time so sessions stay relevant and useful.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is good for face-to-face conversation and working on emotional cues. Phone sessions can be simpler when bandwidth or camera use is limited. Live chat and text messaging make it easier to fit short check-ins into a busy day or keep a running dialogue between meetings. These options provide flexibility so therapy can fit around work, family, and travel.