Therapy for Entrepreneurs and High-Achieving Professionals
My ultimate goal is to empower you with the tools and guidance needed to seize greater control over your life and career.
I am an independent psychotherapist in private practice, and I am licensed to provide online psychotherapy to residents of New York State and the State of California.
Clarice Hassan, LCSW | New York, NY 10011| Mountain View, CA 94040
What are some of the core characteristics for a successful entrepreneur?
Harvard Business School describes entrepreneurship as “the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources currently controlled.” Entrepreneurs—either as individuals or in teams—discover opportunities throughout their personal and professional lives.
In addition to being an experienced psychotherapist, I proudly embrace the title of a high-achieving entrepreneur. As the founder, president, and CEO of a rapidly expanding group practice located in New York City, I have had the privilege of collaborating with numerous accomplished entrepreneurs and professionals, both in the therapy office, and in the conference room. Through these interactions, I have come to recognize the pivotal characteristics that underpin successful entrepreneurship. Here are a few of the essential traits I have observed:
Resilience
The ability to bounce back from failures, adapt to change, and maintain a positive mindset is crucial for overcoming challenges.
Risk-taking
Successful entrepreneurs are comfortable with calculated risks and are willing to embrace uncertainty in pursuit of their vision.
Leadership
The ability to communicate, delegate, and motivate a team.
Persistence
The drive to push through difficulties, stay focused on their goals, and keep moving forward even in the face of adversity.
Visionary mindset
Entrepreneurs possess a forward-thinking mindset and the ability to see the bigger picture. They can envision possibilities, set ambitious goals, and create a clear roadmap to achieve their vision.
Adaptability
The ability to adapt to new circumstances, embrace feedback, and pivot when necessary.
Creativity
The ability to generate fresh ideas, find unique solutions to problems, and identify new opportunities is key to staying ahead in a competitive market.
Self-discipline
The ability to stay motivated, work independently, prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and stay focused on long-term goals.
Decisiveness
The confidence to make challenging decisions and see them through to the end - or to take corrective actions on time.
You aspire to embody the qualities mentioned above, achieve great success in your career, AND maintain your sanity. However...
No matter how much you do, it never feels like it’s enough.
Everyone’s told you how talented you are your whole life. You’ve checked off every box that people have told you to do: the education, the hard work, and the promising career. You keep hearing how lucky and privileged you are, but deep down, you don’t feel it. You’re angry, you’re snapping at others, and most of all you’re angry at yourself. You know you’re bright—what you don’t know is how to turn that brightness into a life that is meaningful to you.
You are exhausted and chronically stressed out.
You are proud of yourself being so efficient, hard-working and disciplined. You are available 24/7, but you merely pause to think about what you really need. Well, you need to be professional and responsible and I hear you—but what about the anger, the stress, the exhaustion, the bad moods, and the sleepless nights dreading of another loaded day?
You need to be in control, and you are upset that you are not.
Your life was not set up on mere fortune. You understand how much effort and hard work you put into you day-to-day life, in order to be in control. But being in control is essential to your success, and you carefully watch every step as you go — and you deeply fear that you will lose control, and you will lose everything you had and you’ve dreamed of. That fear may have helped you in the past to be where you are today, but it also has consumed you.
Can entrepreneurs and high-achieving professionals benefit from psychotherapy?
While I acknowledge that certain characteristics essential for entrepreneurial success may stem from inherent temperaments, I firmly believe that many of these traits can be developed through self-awareness, reflection, practice, action, and repetition.
If you are currently reading this, chances are you are already an entrepreneur or a high-achieving professional, or perhaps you aspire to become one. You may be experiencing burnout, struggling to maintain a work-life balance, facing challenges with setting boundaries or achieving your goals. Alternatively, you may be seeking to cultivate deep confidence, overcome anxiety related to leadership, or break free from people-pleasing tendencies.
Whatever your situation may be, I am here to provide the guidance and support you need. Together, we can navigate the obstacles and work towards your personal and professional growth.
And how does psychotherapy work exactly?
Self-Understanding Enhancement
With a blend of existential and experiential therapy, I will help you directly challenge your existing thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. I believe that heightened self-awareness allows for a more comprehensive understanding of your strengths, challenges, and patterns of functioning.
Emotional Healing
During our work, I provide you with a safe and nurturing space to explore and process your emotional experiences. Gently but firmly, together we work through your past traumas, unresolved conflicts, and deep-seated wounds.
Coping Strategies Building
We cope with, instead of running away from challenges as entrepreneurs. I utilize CBT, DBT and ACT tools to help you build up effective coping mechanisms and adaptive strategies to navigate your career challenges, as well as managing stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional difficulties.
Relationship Enhancement
We will also work on your interpersonal relationships at work, by fostering better communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence. In our therapeutic work, I offer you an opportunity to explore your relationship patterns, address conflicts, and cultivate healthier connections with others.
Personal Growth and Empowerment
Unlike a life coach, I will not tell you what to do - instead, I will encourage you to identify and pursue your own goals, explore your own values and beliefs, and develop a stronger sense of identity and purpose.
Building Resilience
In a difficult place? No worries - I got you. I am here to support you to bounce back from setbacks, and navigate life's adversities with greater strength and adaptability. By exploring the important themes of existential psychotherapy, including freedom, will, responsibility and more, I will help you cultivate the skills and mindset necessary to face challenges, and thrive in the face of adversity.
Behavior Change
Whether you struggle with procrastination or people pleasing, the underlining task is to change these behaviors, instead of just psychoanalyzing them to the end of the world (which we will also do, if necessary). I will help you modify your harmful behaviors and develop healthier habits. I also help you to identify and understand the underlying factors driving your unwanted patterns, leading to positive behavior change.
Improved Mental Health
While your direct concern may not be paralyzing compulsive behaviors (like the uncontrollable tendencies to pull and eat your pubic hair in public), or life-threatening panic attacks (like those who drive and having a panic attach on a highway), you might be experiencing some symptoms for a range of mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, trauma-related disorders, and more. In addition to your direct concerns about career and work, I can provide relief from your symptoms through therapy and improve your overall mental well-being.
Hi there, I am Clarice.
I’m a licensed psychotherapist, a business owner, a high-achieving entrepreneur, and a former business student.
As you may have gathered, my passion lies in working with entrepreneurs and high achievers- Witnessing driven individuals discover their inner voice and gain a sense of empowerment in their lives fills me with immense joy. Being a business owner and high achiever myself, I can empathize with the weight that comes with being in a demanding profession and feeling the weight of responsibilities. Moreover, I understand the challenges of navigating societal expectations and familial pressures that can shape one's perception of what their life should look like.
Prior to establishing my private practice, I was a therapist and supervisor at one of the largest mental health clinics in New York City. In that role, I had the opportunity to utilize various therapeutic modalities to support individuals facing significant challenges. This included assisting those grappling with severe mental illnesses, homelessness, as well as survivors of physical and sexual abuse.
Once upon a time, I was a young girl born into a financially privileged family in China, blessed with a natural talent for arts and literature. Despite my heartfelt aspiration to pursue studies in the liberal arts, my parents guided me towards attending Fudan University, a prestigious Chinese Business School. Although I have since embarked on a different path, I vividly recall the profound unhappiness, anxiety, and depression that weighed heavily upon me throughout those years.
My Education and Credentials - About Therapy
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, New York State, License Number 090330
Post-graduate Clinical Fellow in Gestalt Associates for Psychotherapy, New York
Master’s in Social Work, New York University
Certified in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy with William Alanson White Institute
Trained in Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) for individuals with trauma symptoms
Some of My Experiences in Business
Founder, President and CEO, Phronetic Psychotherapy LCSW PC, New York, NY
Audit Manager, Summer Internship Program, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, Shanghai, China
Consultant, Summer Internship Program, OC&C Strategy Consultants
Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Exchange Student, ESSEC Business School, Paris, France
Ready to start out work? Begin by booking for a free 30-minute phone consultation.
Read more about my fee schedules & provider information here.