Kan yan (HE/him)
Marriage Family Therapist Trainee
Tel: (510) 496 6002 ext. 7
Tel: (510) 496 6002 ext. 7
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"The wound is where the light enters."
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Kan brings a grounded, steady, and attentive presence to his work with clients. He offers a space that is calm and engaged, where people can slow down, speak honestly, and begin to make sense of what feels confusing, overwhelming, or hard to name. He values honesty over comfort, while still working at a pace that feels emotionally manageable.
Kan pays close attention to what is happening in the room between people, including shifts in tone, emotion, silence, and the body. He is interested in what unfolds in real time, not just what is being described. In his work, slowing things down often creates space for something more truthful and clear to emerge.
Kan pays close attention to what is happening in the room between people, including shifts in tone, emotion, silence, and the body. He is interested in what unfolds in real time, not just what is being described. In his work, slowing things down often creates space for something more truthful and clear to emerge.
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Kan’s interest in this work is deeply connected to his experience as a Chinese-American and the child of immigrants. He became increasingly aware of the silence that can exist in families shaped by migration, survival, and cultural pressure, and the emotional patterns that are often carried without words. This awareness has shaped his commitment to helping people understand and shift long-standing relational patterns.
Kan understands what it can feel like to be capable and functioning on the outside while internally feeling disconnected, unsettled, or alone with it. He holds awareness of how family history, cultural context, and relational patterns continue to shape how people experience themselves in the present, often in ways that are not immediately visible. |
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In sessions, Kan focuses on both story and present-moment experience. He is especially interested in what is happening emotionally and physically as people speak, including what is expressed indirectly through silence, tension, or shifting affect. He often explores family-of-origin patterns, as these frequently show up in current relationships and emotional responses.
Kan believes that change happens within relationship. He works to create a space that is steady, honest, and emotionally present, where patterns can be noticed as they emerge in real time. These moments are not interruptions to the work, but often where the work becomes most meaningful.
He is particularly interested in working with adults navigating family-of-origin challenges, adult children of immigrants, individuals in life transitions, and people who feel outwardly capable but internally disconnected.
Kan values cultural humility and continues to stay curious about how race, identity, and systemic context shape inner and relational life. He approaches this with openness, respect, and ongoing learning.
Clinical areas of interest:
Certifications and trainings:
Kan believes that change happens within relationship. He works to create a space that is steady, honest, and emotionally present, where patterns can be noticed as they emerge in real time. These moments are not interruptions to the work, but often where the work becomes most meaningful.
He is particularly interested in working with adults navigating family-of-origin challenges, adult children of immigrants, individuals in life transitions, and people who feel outwardly capable but internally disconnected.
Kan values cultural humility and continues to stay curious about how race, identity, and systemic context shape inner and relational life. He approaches this with openness, respect, and ongoing learning.
Clinical areas of interest:
- Family-of-Origin and Relational Patterns
- Adult Children of Immigrants
- Life Transitions and Identity Development
- Anxiety and Depression
- Relationship and Attachment Patterns
- Emotional Awareness and Mind-Body Connection
Certifications and trainings:
- Somatic Psychotherapy Foundations Training, InterSoma (certification training in progress)
- Modern Group Psychotherapy Training, Center for Group Studies (certification training in progress)
- Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT) training and consultation through ICEEFT (working toward EFFT Therapist Certification)
- Hakomi Mindfulness-Centered Somatic Psychotherapy Training, Hakomi Institute of the Southwest
