Individual therapy for people-pleasers, overthinkers, caregivers and over-achievers in NYC
At Atlas, we show up for you the way you show up for everyone around you: with care, precision, thoughtfulness and intention. It’s your turn to be cared for.
When People Come to Us
Most people who reach out to Atlas are functioning well by outward measures — working, achieving, showing up for the people around them — while managing an internal battle. For some it's anxiety: a mind that overthinks, replays conversations, and rarely settles. For others it's perfectionism and self-criticism, or a pattern of meeting everyone else's needs while losing track of their own. Many notice the same dynamics repeating in their relationships — anxious attachment, people-pleasing, difficulty setting boundaries — and some simply feel worn down and disconnected without a single clear reason. Often these patterns have been present for years and have started to cost more than they protect.
What to Expect During Therapy
Therapy at Atlas is a structured, collaborative process designed around one goal: helping you understand why your patterns exist and giving you the tools to change them. From the first session, we're paying attention to what brought you in and to what's underneath it — the beliefs, relationships, and survival strategies that shaped how you move through the world. Here's what that looks like in practice.
Understanding the Full Picture
Your anxiety, people-pleasing, or perfectionism was learned somewhere, usually for good reasons. Together, we look at the full story: your history, your family dynamics, your relationships, and the moments that taught you to cope the way you do. We treat your past as data — a resource for understanding what drives your present-day reactions. When you can see the whole picture, patterns that felt confusing or shameful start to make sense. And what makes sense can change.
Our Specialties
Anxiety, Perfectionism, & Overachieving
Constant pressure to perform, achieve, or hold everything together can leave you feeling exhausted, anxious, and disconnected from yourself. Therapy helps you understand the patterns driving perfectionism and develop a healthier, more sustainable way of living.
Asian American Therapy
Navigating the intersection of culture, identity, family expectations, and personal values can be deeply complex. We provide culturally responsive therapy that honors your lived experience while helping you build a life that feels authentic to you.
Adult Children of Immigrants
Growing up between cultures often comes with unspoken responsibilities, conflicting expectations, and questions of identity and belonging. Therapy offers space to process those experiences, set healthy boundaries, and define life on your own terms.
Eldest Daughter & Parentified Children
If you've spent your life caring for others, taking on responsibility, or feeling like you had to grow up too soon, you may struggle to prioritize yourself. Together, we'll help you untangle those patterns and create healthier relationships with yourself and the people around you.
Trauma & Chronic Stress
Trauma and chronic stress can affect how you think, feel, relate to others, and move through daily life. Using evidence-based approaches, we'll help you process difficult experiences, restore a sense of safety, and build lasting resilience.
Evidence-Based Approaches
Our therapists are trained in research-supported methods — Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Experiencing, Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT) and polyvagal-informed work — and we tailor the blend to you. That means working with both mind and body: reshaping the thought patterns that keep anxiety running, understanding the protective "parts" of you that push for perfection, and regulating a nervous system that's been stuck in overdrive. Approaches with evidence behind them, matched to how you actually work.
Active Sessions
Sessions at Atlas are active and engaged. Expect real dialogue, honest reflections, questions that make you think, and concrete skills to practice between sessions. We balance depth with direction: enough space to understand the "why" behind your patterns, enough structure that you leave each session with something to use. You set the goals; we actively work toward them together.
Client Testimonials
Results after therapy
Therapy ends but your growth continues. The insight, skills, and self-trust you develop become part of how you navigate everything that comes after.
Peace With Yourself
Less rumination. Develop ways to respond to anxious thoughts without repeatedly analyzing the same concerns or treating every worry as something you need to resolve.
A more stable sense of self-worth. Examine the standards you use to judge yourself and develop a sense of worth that is less dependent on achievement, feedback, or other people’s approval.
Greater capacity to manage stress. Learn to recognize the physical signs of stress and practice tools to calm your body, giving yourself more time and choice in how you respond.
More flexibility and room for rest. Reconsider expectations that leave little room for mistakes or changing circumstances. Practice allowing yourself to rest without making it conditional on how much you have accomplished.
Ease With Others
Clearer boundaries. Learn to communicate your limits and needs without assuming responsibility for everyone else’s response. Work through the guilt that can arise when you say no, even when the decision is right for you.
More satisfying relationships. Understand how your attachment patterns influence the way you seek closeness, withdraw, or accommodate others. Practice ways of relating that allow you to stay connected without consistently setting aside your own needs.
More direct communication. Become more comfortable identifying what you feel and asking for what you need, with less time spent rehearsing conversations or second-guessing what you have said.
Meet our Therapists
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Dr. Lisa Cordero, PsyD, LMHC, LPC
Psychotherapist
Active, goal-oriented therapy for individuals, couples, and families — insight into why you're stuck, and concrete tools to change it.
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Donna Hahn, LMSW
Associate Psychotherapist
Therapy for first-generation adults, perfectionists, and high achievers who are ready to put down the mask, quiet the replaying mind, and hear their own voice again.
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Joy Belamarich, LCSW
Psychotherapist
Therapy for new mothers, anxious high-achievers, and perfectionists— a place to anchor your self-worth from within.
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Janine Cheng, LCSW
Founder + Clinical Director
Culturally responsive therapy for perfectionists, people-pleasers, stressed couples, and strained families. Structured, and goal-oriented in a warm and supportive setting.
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Jennifer Aghavian, LMSW
ASSOCIATE PSYCHOTHERAPIST
Attachment-focused therapy for individuals and couples navigating anxiety, self-doubt, and relationship difficulties. Understand how past experiences, family or cultural expectations shape the way you relate to yourself and others.
Experience personalized therapy at our office in Nomad
Our office in Manhattan was intentionally designed to create a sense of comfort, privacy, and ease from the moment you walk through the door. Surrounded by refined interiors and a peaceful atmosphere, you'll find a space that encourages reflection, connection, and meaningful change.
All in-person sessions will take place in a warm, inviting space that will help you feel calm and centered for the work. The office is located in Nomad and easily accessible via the 1, 2, 3, N, R, W, B, D, F, M and 6 lines.
Connect With Us
Book a Consult
You can schedule an introductory conversation with our Clinical Director using the calendar below. During this conversation, we’ll learn more about what you’re looking for and help match you with the therapist on our team who best fits your needs.
If you prefer to connect directly with a therapist, explore our team bios and schedule a consultation with the therapist you’re most interested in working with.
E-mail Us
If you’re not quite ready to book a consultation, use the form below to introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you’re looking for.
You’ll hear from our Clinical Director within 24 business hours.
Based on what you share about your concerns, goals, preferences, availability and budget, we’ll recommend one or more therapists whose experience and approach may be a good fit and guide you through the next step.
Rewrite your story today.
You don't have to keep repeating the same patterns. Therapy can help you better understand what's driving them and create a different path forward. Let us help find the right therapist for you.