Therapist
Taylor Kahn, PsyD (she/her), is a postdoctoral clinician, registered with the Board of Psychology in California as a Psychological Associate (#94029665), supervised by Dr. Chia-Ying Chou (PSY30161). Dr. Kahn earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Scripps College, and her master’s and doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.
Dr. Kahn takes a trauma-informed, strengths-based approach to therapy, based in both Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and psychodynamic therapy. One of the goals of ACT is to help clients accept - rather than struggle against - emotions, thoughts, and experiences that cannot be controlled, and to encourage meaningful, values-based action in the face of what can be controlled. Psychodynamic therapy explores how past experiences and relationships influence current functioning, with the goal to increase clients’ self-awareness of what drives them. Dr. Kahn has formal training in both approaches, as well as Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which she uses to help clients expand their toolbox when working towards increasing compassion, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness.
Dr. Kahn tailors her therapeutic approach to each client, while using gentle curiosity, tactful irreverence, and humor, to promote a collaborative environment in which clients feel comfortable and emboldened to explore their inner world and to promote change in their lives. She does this by helping clients identify patterns in which they feel stuck, discover how their emotions and reactions have been impacted by early relationships, learn how to cultivate the practice of compassion, and develop a meaningful life that celebrates their identities and honors their values.
Dr. Kahn specializes in trauma: this includes “big-T” traumas, such as exposure to actual/threatened death, and witnessing or experiencing serious injury or sexual violence; and “little-T” traumas, such as psychologically distressing events or life transitions. Relatedly, Dr. Kahn is passionate about working with clients experiencing grief and loss, as well as anxiety related to death. As a multiracial clinician, Dr. Kahn devoted her doctoral research to exploring how Asian Americans living in the United States choose to present themselves emotionally. She uses this research to inform her practice when working with clients from all backgrounds, making sure to discuss how her and her clients’ identities may influence the therapeutic space.
Dr. Kahn has experience conducting individual and group therapy in a variety of settings including both psychodynamic and ACT on-campus clinics, community mental health, and inpatient psychiatric hospital. She completed her final internship year at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs where she was trained in evidence-based, manualized treatments for PTSD, substance use, and insomnia.
Trauma, PTSD, Complex PTSD
Grief and Loss
Depression and Anxiety
Substance Use
Identity Development
Life Transitions
Interpersonal Challenges
Insomnia
Individual therapy for adults aged 18+
Group therapy for adults aged 18+
Clinical Assessments for adults aged 18+ (Diagnostic, Personality, ADHD)
I believe therapy is a “brave space” before it becomes a “safe space.” As strangers in the beginning, I encourage all of my clients to ask questions freely and to explore transparently what factors may influence our therapeutic relationship. My job is to then help guide you to explore patterns in which you feel stuck, to explore your relationships with your emotions, and to create a roadmap to reach the life that feels most meaningful and fulfilling to you. I value using aspects of the therapeutic relationship (body language, avoidance, comfortable topics of conversation) to explore what your emotions and discomfort are trying to communicate. I take a person-centered, strengths-based approach to therapy, which means we will examine how your past and present, and internal and external environments are making it difficult to support your identities and employ more effective coping skills. To achieve this, we will collaborate on structured exercises in session, we will create an outline for work outside of session, and we will track goals throughout our work together.
I specialize in working with trauma, using evidence-based approaches to treat sexual trauma, combat trauma, PTSD, and complex PTSD. I also tailor my approach to work with common trauma-related stressors such as interpersonal difficulties, identity concerns, substance use, sleep difficulties, and grief. Working with me feels like a gentle excavation of your inner world- you will feel gently challenged, but you will also become reacquainted with your resilience. Whether this is your first experience with therapy or your umpteenth, I look forward to walking alongside you, with humor, curiosity, and the respect warranted by taking this step.