Zoë Kahn, LCSW

08/15/2022

03/24/2020

I came across a very helpful and articulate article/interview today with David Kessler who co-wrote Elizabeth Kubler Ross’ famous book “On Grief and Grieving: Finding the Meaning of Grief through the Five Stages of Loss.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/hbr.org/amp/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief

Kessler has worked in hospitals for years and gave words to an experience I know I have been having the last few days that feels unexpected and even down right uncomfortable or strange at times. This morning I found myself crying at the kitchen sink thinking about the amount of loss we as a community, we as a country, we as the world have collectively and will collectively continue to experience over the next however many months. It was overwhelming and startling, and triggered by something much smaller, but that’s how grief works. It creeps up on us at inexplicable moments. And I found myself questioning if that was normal, was I overreacting? The answer is no. It’s completely normal to be feeling this right now and to at times be flattened by it. The important thing is to feel all of these feels as you would experience the waves of grief and the different stages of grief. I continue to experience the denial, the anger, the bargaining, the sadness and acceptance (still a work in progress!) but I do want to find meaning and have found that too in my video chats with friends and family, my love for my dog and gratitude that we can go on walks together, the gift of being able to meet with and help my clients through this time (such a never ending gift), and the gift of seeing shadow self and getting to know another, deeper side of myself. You are not overly emotional or overreacting for feeling something. In fact, that’s you working through various feeling states and accepting a new normal that has been changing daily. I want you to know that I see you, and am amazed by your bravery and vulnerability. And I’m going through this collective grief as well, we’re not alone in this. ✨

03/18/2020

Greetings🙌🏼 I’ve been away from this platform for over a year now to focus on growing my own practice in Highland Park, it’s actually very nice to be back! • This has been a really tough week for folks. People are feeling all the feels, which makes sense. Anyone with a trauma history, chronic illness, compromised immune systems, anxiety, depression, etc - your nervous system has been put to the test. And it’s very easy to get triggered by sensational news headlines or others who are panicking. • I made the decision to “come back online” so to speak to provide folks with some helpful resources during this ever changing time. I’m going to be posting some guided meditation videos, deep breathing videos, educational talks, and other materials that I think could be helpful for a wide range of people. So get ready! As I was saying to a client earlier today, we’ve been gifted with an opportunity to change our habits, our conditioning, our way of facing obstacles in this special moment in time. We will meet ourselves in this time alone, this time to go inward. I’m excited to bring to you some tools to ease the challenges and help bring you clarity ✨ And of course, if you need something extra, don’t hesitate to reach out. I am working from home and providing video and phone sessions, even if you just need 30 minutes or need a lower rate at this time, check in and we will figure something out 🧡 The only way through is through, the path you take is yours to choose 🙏🏼

03/14/2019

People in their 20s and 30s seek mental-health help more often, and they are changing the nature of treatment

03/09/2019

Such a beautiful and raw podcast from “This American Life.” In my work with parents of children suffering from autism and working with adopted kids/teens this felt like a snapshot of real life while providing a little hope for those that need the support. You’re not alone out there! ✨💗✨

A family uses a controversial therapy to train their son to love them, and other stories about the hard work of loving other people.

03/05/2019

Show up as you! How can we go about doing this? Work on silencing your inner critic (that voice inside your head that puts you down), shift towards self compassion (accepting yourself: the great things about you + the things you’re actively working on), and work through the fear of fully being yourself (expressing your thoughts and feelings openly, verbalizing your needs and desires, setting boundaries, accepting that you’re not “for everybody” and that’s just fine 😘). Let your light shine today!✨

02/20/2019

Love this piece by Molly Thornton. Very helpful for anyone struggling with the writing process. Many of my clients talk about writer’s block or feeling lonely and disengaged from the process. What a lovely reminder - we don’t have to go it alone! 💗

Writers are often plagued with beliefs, myths, and fears that conspire against our pure creative impulses. These internal quandaries can…

02/12/2019

I love this idea! Hold yourself accountable - you can even change “I must” to “I will” or “I would like to”. Make it personal to you 💗

01/29/2019

Interesting article about understanding anger, culturally, in order to sit with it, accept it and let it go. Anger is often a secondary reaction to a primary emotion such as shame, fear or hurt.

While many people believe that how we feel and express anger is hard-wired, some scientists suggest our experience and culture help shape it. One way to get a handle on it may be to personalize it.

01/11/2019

love explained by ✨

01/10/2019

thank you for the reminder 🙏🏼 how do you express love as a verb? for a closer look at ’s take on love and relationships in our present world see my story.

01/05/2019

the first most basic step in building the relationship with yourself is taking care of you. what is self care, this buzz word we hear a lot in the psychotherapy world? it depends! some days self care looks like taking a hot shower after work, some days self care is meeting up with friends, some days self care is getting plenty of rest. what’s your self care routine and how do you make sure you’re staying on top of it? how can you tell when your self care is lacking?

11/26/2018

wise words 💗

11/17/2018

patience + timing vs. procrastination...only you can be the judge. writer’s block or any creative block can be frustrating, how can you lean into the feeling rather than resist and fight it? perhaps you can speak to yourself without judgment or criticism when you are feeling stuck. maybe you can ask yourself with curiosity and interest what’s getting in the way of moving forward? saturday musings 💗

11/12/2018

what the world needs now...is self care sweet self care 💗 take a deep breath and ask yourself if there’s one item on this list that you can get down with today.

10/25/2018

I recently (finally!) saw the Mr. Rogers documentary and was instantly transported into my childhood living room. In the mornings before it was time to leave for school, my sister and I would patiently watch Mr. Rogers before it was time to leave. We learned valuable lessons about how to manage and cope with difficult feelings, how to love openly and fully, how to express ourselves to others, and how to love ourselves. The message of unconditional love and love with no restrictions or bounds surely impacted our interactions with classmates, friends and family over the course of each school day and for many years to come. It impacted our ability to have empathy for e v e r y one. Our world needs more of this, and yes it starts with what we teach our kids about love and decency. I’ve had many patients and friends alike ask me how to mange and cope with the awful things we are barraged with on a daily basis (violence, hunger, vitriolic hate messages from the government, violence against oppressed people, our polluted earth...the list is long). Look to the good people - the people who want to help. It’s hard to believe in good and to have hope, but I promise there are kind people in this world too. Maybe you are one of them, I hope so ✨