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 focus on supporting individuals in examining and managing their anxieties, relational patterns, and existential overwhelm to live a life aligned with their values. My personal values of authenticity, humor, and acceptance shape my approach, and clients describe me as compassionate, non-judgmental, and easy to talk to. I'm dedicated to providing clients with a safe space to explore The Void in ways that resonate with them, whether that's processing past traumas, confronting fears about the future, or sharing relevant memes and TikToks.

Clients often express feeling misunderstood in their personal lives and value therapy as a place where their concerns aren't dismissed with silver linings or premature optimism. My goal is to collaboratively understand the roots of their anxiety, acknowledge why their world feels unsettled, and support them in making realistic, lasting changes.

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

Approach to therapy

I was initially trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which equips clients with concrete coping skills to better navigate distress and interpersonal conflict.

Examples of dialectics include:

  • Accepting your reality and behaviors while also unlearning unhelpful coping mechanisms.

  • Recognizing that past coping strategies helped you survive, yet may no longer serve you.

  • Understanding that how you show up in relationships is shaped by factors beyond your control, and taking responsibility for change if you want to improve them.

While DBT informs my work, I am not a manualized, skill-based clinician. Coping skills alone weren’t enough for the deep emotional distress many clients faced, so I integrated Existential-Humanism and psychodynamic approaches to foster real connection. By building authentic relationships, I offer honest feedback (or, as some say, “call out bullshit”) that others may not.

The most rewarding part of my work is seeing clients feel empowered and aligned with who they want to be. My goal is to support lasting change so they can eventually navigate life without my support—whether that takes months or years.

Outside of therapy…

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.