Sarah Kwan, Clinical Psychologist & Founder at Kwan Psychotherapy

Sarah Kwan, Clinical Psychologist & Founder at Kwan Psychotherapy Founder, therapist and clinical supervisor @ Kwan Psychology, a womxn-led psychotherapy practice Hi there!

I am a clinical psychologist and founder of Kwan Psychotherapy, a female-led practice, rooted in dignity, inclusion and self-determination. We serve children 10+, adults and those in relationships (of all gender identities). In my own practice, I focus on women's mental health, with an eye towards the multiple, and often competing, roles that women navigate throughout a lifetime. Making sense of personal identity within these roles can often fall by the wayside, impacting both emotional and physical well-being. I treat a number of challenges that women might face including anxiety and depression, relationships and attachment, career challenges, reproductive trauma, PTSD and racial & cultural identity.
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I am deeply aware that taking steps towards change can be stressful and painful and aim to create a compassionate environment that destigmatizes and demystifies the therapeutic experience.
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I am licensed to practice therapy in California #28869.​

This is us! We are Sarah, Athenia, Beverly and Victoria and we are so glad we made it into your orbit. While we possess...
05/05/2025

This is us!

We are Sarah, Athenia, Beverly and Victoria and we are so glad we made it into your orbit. While we possess a diversity of foci and specializations, we are all firmly rooted in a foundation of inclusion, dignity and the right to self-realization; holding that multiple systems interact to influence mental health, we also believe that our core selves are indelible and move intuitively towards empowerment and a more enlivened existence.

We invite you to explore our website to learn more about each of us. If you feel a connection with any of our bios, please reach out for a free 15 minute

Practices to preserve a sense of personal safety. There are are three important ways to think about personal about safet...
11/13/2023

Practices to preserve a sense of personal safety.

There are are three important ways to think about personal about safety:

1) safety in your body
2) safety in your emotions and thoughts
3) safety in your environment and relationships

When we experience adversity through trauma, our nervous systems can become drastically and sometimes chronically disrupted, compromising all aspects of personal safety. Our senses and fear responses are heightened so experiences and reactions become intensified. We can become hyper vigilant, perpetually stuck on “on” or “off,” and lose sight of crucial coping strategies. Adverse experiences shrink our window of tolerance meaning we have less capacity to ebb and flow and a greater tendency to become overwhelmed more quickly.

When we become hyperaroused, our bodies can become “stuck on on” and we often experience:

* excessive activation, often in the form of anxiety, panic, fear, hypervigilence, emotional flooding

This can impact our:

* ability to relax, often making it difficult to sleep, eat and digest food, and optimally manage our emotions. It can also result in adverse relational outcomes as well as negatively impact short and long-term physical and mental health.

Hypoarousal may occur when we have too much hyperarousal, surpassing the pain/emotional overwhelm our brain/body is able to tolerate,  causing us to plunge into a state of hypoarousal (shutting down or dissociating). In this state, our systems can become “stuck on off” and lead to:

* exhaustion, depression, flat affect, numbness, disconnection, dissociation

The practice of expanding your window of tolerance is critical to a sense of personal safety. When we are not in a state of distress, emotions can pass through the window of tolerance like a wave in the ocean — they will build to a crest, but ultimately diminish back into the sea. But a threat response can function like a dam. When we enter hyperarousal or hypoarousal — the extremes outside the window of tolerance — the emotional wave builds up behind this wall of fear trying to suppress it, and the pressure can become overwhelming.

Full disclosure: It may not appear so, but it takes me ages to come up with captions to accompany my posts. I get stuck ...
07/28/2023

Full disclosure: It may not appear so, but it takes me ages to come up with captions to accompany my posts. I get stuck on everything from concept to research to grammar to flow etc. It’s EXHAUSTING. It’s JUST an Instagram post but most of the time, I get so defeated by wording or like…comma placement?…that I just scrap the whole thing outright. In a broader context, I can’t tell you how many life opportunities I have said “goodbye” to just because one little, teensy, tiny element feels off. More importantly, by wielding the shield of perfectionism in the face of inner and outer disapproval, I have deprived myself of the problem-solving and deep personal growth that only mistakes can offer. Psssst…it also keeps us locked into escalating states of fear rather than allows us to see that we can fall and get up stronger, reaching for unimagined heights.

While the goal of the perfectionist is a sort of unimpeachable greatness, this endless report card of accomplishments utterly undermines creativity. Creativity takes imagination, imagination that cannot exist without missteps, vulnerability and a whole lot of courage.

Meet Athenia! We are thrilled to welcome senior associate psychotherapist and media artist, Athenia, to Kwan Psychothera...
05/10/2022

Meet Athenia! We are thrilled to welcome senior associate psychotherapist and media artist, Athenia, to Kwan Psychotherapy. Get in touch at www.drsarahkwan.com. ⠀
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In Athenia’s words: ⠀
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I believe that therapy is about the discovery of our innermost selves, strengths, and resources that can guide us through healing and growth. Together, we will work in ways that are in-depth and practical, move through challenges, and tap into the strengths that are already within you. I will strive to provide you an environment that is free of judgment and oppression, and in which you are fully seen, accepted, and affirmed. ⠀
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In addition to my training, I am deeply informed by my background as a bicultural Asian American immigrant, my own healing journey as a therapy client, and connection to art and dance. I am passionate about getting to know you deeply and strive to offer a safe space and build a therapeutic relationship that is supportive and caring. I resonate with working with people who are marginalized by systems of power and privilege, especially BIPOC, immigrants and descendants of immigrants. In addition to English, I speak conversational Cantonese.

We come with triggers to every relationship. They are written into our very beings as siren calls from the pain of the p...
05/06/2022

We come with triggers to every relationship. They are written into our very beings as siren calls from the pain of the past; largely irrespective to the person on the other end. Some may exacerbate and escalate that pain, BUT, when we surround ourselves with those who can help hold and create safety around those triggers, that’s when the healing begins.

It’s often an either/or. We survive or we thrive. But so much of what we do in the trenches is labor towards our wildest...
03/31/2022

It’s often an either/or. We survive or we thrive. But so much of what we do in the trenches is labor towards our wildest dreams; known or unknown. If you feel like you’re “simply surviving” right now, know that this path moves you ever closer to your vision of abundance and thriving.

I am so pleased to welcome the talented and compassionate to Kwan Psychology. ⠀ ⠀ In Courtney’s words: ⠀It is my pleasu...
03/31/2022

I am so pleased to welcome the talented and compassionate to Kwan Psychology. ⠀
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In Courtney’s words: ⠀

It is my pleasure to be able to offer psychological services to adults of any gender identity & adolescents ages 10+ across California. ⠀
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I am an Asian-American cis-female therapist who is both first-generation and fifth-generation. I have strong insight into what it means to straddle cultures, identities, and inconsistencies. I have a passion for working with children, adolescents, and adults who have experienced the feeling of “not belonging” in a society that values binary labels. ⠀
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In my practice, I view my clients from a Psychodynamic lens, while also including concepts from Narrative Therapy, Art Therapy, and Mindfulness. My hope is that my clients come out of therapy with a deeper understanding of their internal states and a more compassionate relationship with themselves.

Address

Divisadero Street
San Francisco, CA
94115

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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Our Story

Welcome! My name is Sarah Kwan and I am a Licensed Psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist located in beautiful San Francisco, CA. As a native San Franciscan who has lived across 4 countries over the past 15 years, I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to come home and serve the community I know and cherish.

Following the completion of my PhD at Fordham University in New York City, I have been working in community mental health at Richmond Area Multi-Service (RAMS) whilst simultaneously (and finally!) opening the doors to my private practice.

While my practice is geared towards creating space for both adolescents and women from all walks of life, I strongly believe that with the added disquiet of the current political climate, women of color, BIPOCs and allies are in particular need of emotional safety and it is my pledge to offer this safety and support to the very best of my ability. ​ I am licensed to practice therapy in California #28869.​