Hi, I'm Dr. Kelli Tahaney
A Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Boulder, Colorado — here to help teens, college students, and young adults feel heard, find their footing, and heal at their own pace.
I'm originally from St. Petersburg, Florida. I headed north for graduate school in Boston, then west to Denver, and finally landed in Boulder — where I now live with my husband and our two dogs. When I'm not in session, you'll usually find me running, camping, or watching college football.
Over the past ten years I've worked just about everywhere people show up when things get hard — emergency departments, inpatient units, outpatient clinics, correctional facilities, and addiction treatment centers — with clients of every age. That range taught me one thing above all: people aren't their worst moments, and change is always possible with the right support.
I care especially about adolescence and young adulthood. These are the years when you're figuring out who you are, stepping into independence, and navigating relationships that keep shifting underfoot. It's a lot — and it's also exactly when the right tools can make a lifelong difference. My goal is to create a nonjudgmental, warm space where we can sort through it together.
You're working with someone who spent a decade studying how addiction and recovery actually work
Before I ever sat across from a client, I spent years in the lab and the clinic asking a very specific question: what actually helps people change their relationship with alcohol and drugs — and what just sounds good on paper? That work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and turned into published research used by other clinicians and scientists.
In plain terms: the approaches I use with you aren't guesses. They're grounded in evidence, and I know how to tell the difference between a technique that holds up and one that doesn't. In therapy I lean on cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and motivational interviewing — all well-researched, all adapted to fit you rather than the other way around.
I also teach. I'm a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at CU Boulder, which keeps me close to the research and to the age group I work with most.
Licenses, education & experience
Licenses
- PSYPACT authorized (telehealth across 38+ states)
- Licensed Clinical Psychologist, State of Colorado — PSY.0006005
Education
- Ph.D., Clinical Psychology — Boston University, 2022
- M.A., Psychology — Boston University, 2013
- B.A., Psychology — University of South Florida, 2010
Clinical & research experience
- 2026–presentLecturer, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder
- 2021–2022Postdoctoral Fellow, Denver Health
- 2020–2021Psychology Resident, Denver Health
- 2018–2020Telehealth Crisis Clinician, Boston University CARD
- 2017–2020NIH NRSA Research Fellowship
- 2016–2017Addiction Consult-Liaison Service, Boston Medical Center
- 2016–2017Student Supervisor, Boston University CARD
- 2015–2016Practicum Trainee, Boston VA Healthcare System
- 2014–2015Graduate Student Clinician, Boston University CARD
- 2011–2014Teaching Fellow, Boston University
Ready when you are
Booking starts with a free 15-minute call — no pressure, just a conversation to see if we're a good fit.
In-network: Cigna · Aetna · Optum · Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield