Claire Li 李南星
She/Her
Founder, LCSW, SIFI
EMDR Therapist
Language: English/Mandarin
My Background
Opening up to someone new takes a lot of trust and vulnerability. I believe that a strong therapeutic relationship is the foundation of a meaningful therapy experience. By sharing some parts of myself, I hope to give prospective clients a sense of whether we might be a good fit.
Before becoming a therapist, I studied in finance and navigated life as a Chinese immigrant woman trying to make sense of the the cultural expectations and inherited beliefs I carried. My own healing involved challenging the norms I was raised with, making space for my full story, and learning to listen to the parts of me I tried to hide. This lived experience shapes how I show up in the therapy room—with curiosity, compassion, and a deep respect for the courage it takes to do this work.
Throughout my 9-year career as a therapist, I’ve had the privilege of working in a variety of treatment settings and supporting many individuals from all walks of life. Most recently I was the Acting Clinic Director for a large community mental health outpatient clinic in Brooklyn, supporting more than 500 clients as they navigate trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationship conflicts.
I was passionate about the craft of therapy, but saw issues within the field that could have been improved upon. I wanted to make therapy more trauma and culturally informed, more BIPOC, immigrants, and LGBTQIA+ affirming, and more relational. I also wanted to create a collective space where both clients and therapists felt truly supported.
This led me to a team, to my own consultation, and today to Moment.
My Approach and Specialities
I specialize in offering immigrants, BIPOC, First Gen-affirming/allied individual therapy to support those seeking a sense of groundedness, meaningful healing, and long-lasting growth. Culturally responsive approach is also central to my work. Our personal histories and sociocultural environments shape the lens through which we view the world.
I believe healing begins in safe connection. You might be the first in your lineage to pause, to rest, to ask: What would it mean to be my authentic self? Whether you’re unlearning survival patterns, tending to old wounds, or simply trying to hear your own voice beneath the noise, I want you to know that you don’t have to do it alone.
I am trained in EMDR, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and psychodynamic approach. My work is relational and influenced by attachment and trauma theory. In somatic (soma is Greek for body), or body-centered therapy, we deepen our conversation by paying close attention to your experience of inhabiting a physical body in the here and now.
Academic Credentials
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, New York State/097406
Certificate: 2-year certified Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program with American Institue for Pyschoanalysis (AIP)
Certificate: Seminar Training in Field Instruction (SIFI), Hunter College
Certificate: 9-month Motivational Interviewing Program with The Training and Practice Implementation Institute (TTPI)
Somatic Resourcing in EMDR with Manhattan Center for Trauma Studies
EMDR training with Center for Excellence/Deany Laliotis
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy - Level 1-Trauma Themes
One-Year-Evening psychodynamic psychotherapy with National Institute for Psychotherapy
Columbia University, Master of Science in Social Work
Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, BA
Fee and Insurance
Insurance Accepted:
Aetna
Cigna/Wellfleet
UHC
BCBS
Out-Of-Network Benefits Reimbursement
Self-Pay/Out-of-network rate: $200 per 50 minute session. Sliding scale is available.
*We can provide you with a monthly superbill to submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. Most of our self-pay clients have out-of-network benefits through their insurance. We will help you figure out your out-of-network benefits. Please contact us directly with any questions, to discuss fees, or to schedule a free consultation.