Manna Chan, LCSW-R, SEP
Manna Chan is a licensed psychotherapist and the Founder and Executive Clinical Director of the Alcyon Institute. With roots in Hong Kong and a deeply bicultural perspective, Manna brings a global, empathetic lens to her clinical practice.
The Roots of My Journey
I arrived in the United States as an international student to fulfill a dream of higher education. Growing up in Hong Kong during the twilight of British rule, I experienced the psychological impact of a rigid class system just a short boat ride away from China’s Cultural Revolution. My father survived starvation and the Cultural Revolution, carrying deep, unprocessed trauma. Unsurprisingly, for much of my early life, I carried that inherited pain. It wasn’t until later, through my clinical work, that I truly understood how trauma lives in the body across generations.
Like many others, I learned how to be hyper-vigilant and high-functioning, prioritizing everyone else while losing touch with my own needs. I was entirely unaware that I had gone through school and half a career with a degree of congenital hearing loss. Discovering a disability I didn't know I had—much like discovering trauma you didn't know you carried—gave me sudden clarity to reevaluate my entire life story. These personal revelations profoundly inform my practice every day.
Clinical Leadership & Impact
Speaking engagement at MLB headquarter, NYCThroughout my career, I have held senior leadership positions across community-based programs, primary care, and mental health startups. Alongside my clinical practice, I am a certified clinical supervisor deeply committed to training, mentoring, and teaching the next generation of social workers and therapists. It was a profound honor to direct a mental health program serving survivors of the 9/11 attacks and their families—a pivotal experience that shaped my understanding of collective trauma and the limits of traditional care.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I stepped into a leadership role as Senior Clinical Director and Senior Clinical Consultant at Valera Health. While scaling impact at a national digital health startup that covers millions lives was rewarding, I soon realized my true calling belonged in the intimate, transformative space of direct client work. Seeing how fast-paced environments often overlooked body-based trauma and chronic illness became the ultimate catalyst for founding Alcyon.
Founding Alcyon
Alcyon was born out of a desire to create a sanctuary where healing is both evidence-based and deeply human. My philosophy centers on the belief that personal healing and self-actualization are achievable for everyone, regardless of the complexity of their history. By integrating somatic awareness with traditional clinical expertise, I help clients navigate chronic illness, life transitions, and the echoes of inherited trauma.
Trainings and Workshops
One of my core passions is sharing knowledge and insights through mentorship, interactive trainings, and workshops. While I find it deeply rewarding to support therapists as they grow into skilled professional clinicians, I believe that mental health awareness and psychological safety belong to everyone.
Today, I design and facilitate engaging workshops tailored for corporate employers, leadership teams, the general public, and anyone curious about mental health, chronic illness, and somatic awareness. Whether teaching clinical excellence to professionals or sharing tools for mind-body wellness and compassionate leadership with organizations, my approach remains the same: collaborative, evidence-based, and deeply human.
Honors & Awards
My contributions to clinical excellence and community impact have been recognized with several prestigious honors, including:
NASW-NYC Exemplary Mid-Career Social Work Leader
Community Impact and Innovation Award | The Susan G. Komen Foundation
Robin Hood Foundation Grantee
Executive Leader Fellow | Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College
Designated Geriatric Scholar | The Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers and Hunter College
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
Carl Jung
How I Work
My approach remains the same whether I’m mentoring clinicians or working with individuals: collaborative, evidence-based, and deeply human. I begin with a thorough assessment of your goals and challenges, followed by a customized roadmap for sustainable change. By integrating somatic awareness with traditional clinical expertise, I provide a non-judgmental space where you can move beyond survival and toward true self-actualization. I work at your pace, ensuring every step is grounded in physiological safety and mental clarity.