Michael Lau

I am a gay Asian American male psychologist with more than 20 years of clinical experience and graduate training in counseling psychology and psychotherapy. I provide online psychotherapy for adults in New York, Washington, DC, Virginia, and Florida. My practice is especially well suited for LGBTQ+ adults, Asian American and multicultural clients, professionals, and people with immigrant, international, expatriate, or third-culture backgrounds. Many of the people I work with appear capable and successful on the outside but feel anxious, self-critical, disconnected, lonely, or stuck in recurring patterns in relationships, work, or family life. My approach is psychodynamic, relational, trauma-informed, and multicultural. Therapy with me is collaborative and in-depth, with attention to both present concerns and the emotional, relational, family, and cultural patterns that may help explain why certain difficulties keep repeating. I commonly work with concerns related to anxiety, relationship patterns, perfectionism, self-esteem, identity, sexuality, family expectations, work stress, life transitions, and belonging. My understanding of culture and identity is informed by both professional training and lived experience. Before coming to the United States for college and graduate school, I lived in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Taiwan. In addition to English, I am proficient in Mandarin Chinese and understand Hakka, Hokkien/Taiwanese, and Cantonese. Before moving into full-time private practice, I spent more than a decade in graduate psychology education at Teachers College, Columbia University, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, and Felician University. My academic work included multicultural psychology, counseling skills, psychological assessment, research, and clinical training, and I served in leadership roles including Department Chair and Director of Clinical Training. I offer a free phone consultation for prospective clients to discuss what is bringing you to therapy, answer initial questions, and consider whether working together may feel like a good fit.