Meet Caryn Zaner, PsyD
[they | them | theirs]
Clinical Psychologist in Oregon specializing in anxiety, identity development, values work, and interpersonal group therapy. Supporting adults 18+ via tele-therapy.
About Me
I am focused on supporting people examine and manage their anxieties, relational patterns, and existential overwhelm in order to live a life that is in alignment with their values. My personal values of authenticity, humor, and acceptance play a large role in how I do this work, and my clients have shared they experience me as compassionate, non-judgmental, and easy to talk to. I am dedicated to giving my clients the opportunity to peer into The Void in whatever way feels best for them, whether that is by processing past traumas or relational pain, examining fears about the future, or sharing memes and TikToks they find relevant.
My clients often tell me they don’t feel understood by others in their life and they appreciate having a place in therapy where their concerns aren’t dismissed with silver linings and ill-timed optimism. After all, if feeling better was as easy as telling yourself, “Don’t be so anxious,” and, “Everything is fine,” you would have done that by now. My goal is to work with my clients to really understand where their anxiety is coming from, why their world does not feel “fine,” and support them in creating realistic and sustainable change.
Licensure
Licensed Psychologist (Oregon #3466)
PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Pacific University (2020)
Relevant Trainings and Work
Working with Trans Clients in the Gender Affirmative Clinical Model: An Advanced Clinical Training (2020)
Welcoming Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Workshop - National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) (2019)
Facilitator of Training: “10 Principles of Welcoming Diversity”
Doctoral Research: The intersections of sexual identity, community, and age: Exploring how queer women navigate physical and online spaces
Historically, therapists have been trained to be a “blank slate” and attempt complete neutrality toward their clients. While I do practice non-judgment and give compassion and empathy freely, I believe it is ingenuine to pretend I am not a real human being who is coming into the therapy space with my own history, view of the world, and personality! Therefore, I’m including a little bit more information about who I am when I take off my therapist hat, as it likely influences who I am professionally.
Originally from a suburb of D.C., I lived in Portland, Oregon for over a decade with a stint in Monterey, California, and have now landed in Eugene, Oregon. I am a cat owner, horror movie lover, and would live at the coast if I could. My version of self-care includes weightlifting, re-watching LOST, and taking pictures of flowers that I never go back to look at but like knowing they are there. I believe strongly in community care and mutual aid, and a future without borders and prisons.
As a white, Jewish, queer, agender, disabled Millennial, and a child of Boomer parents, I understand wrestling with various privileged and less-privileged identities, having life expectations set for me by others, and trying to find purpose and fulfilment while the world is on fire. I understand what it is like to (try to) balance being so acutely aware of the suffering in the world and tackling my to-do list.
I was initially trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which teaches clients a wide array of concrete coping skills so they can better tolerate and navigate distress and interpersonal conflict.
Examples of dialectics include:
accepting the reality of your life and behaviors, and, unlearning unhelpful coping behaviors.
your unhelpful coping behaviors helped you survive and to get to where you are today, and, they might not be the most effective skills anymore.
the way you show up in your adult relationships is a result of a number of factors likely out of your control (family of origin, trauma, life experiences), and, you are now responsible for making change if you wish to improve your relationships moving forward.
While aspects of DBT still guide my practice, I am not a manualized, skill-based clinician. During my training I found that coping skills, while helpful, were not enough to address the emotional distress and existential dread many of my clients experienced. I expanded my training to include aspects of Existential-Humanism and psychodynamic theories, which allow me to sit in “the shit” with my clients and connect to them on a human level. I am able to focus on building a strong and authentic therapeutic relationship to my clients and know them on a deep level; this allows me to get a glimpse as to how others experience my clients, and I can provide them with feedback (or as some clients have said, “call them out on their bullshit”) that others might not be able to or willing to give.
The most rewarding experience for me as a therapist is watching my clients feel more empowered, more in control of their lives, and more in alignment with who they really want to be. My overarching goal is to support people in making realistic and sustainable change to eventually get to the point where they feel capable of navigating their world without my support. For some, that process could take several months, and for others it could span a few years; it all depends on what your needs are, and what outcomes you are hoping for.