Our Team
Founder & Psychotherapist
Stephen helps clients work through relationship struggles, addiction, depression, anxiety, and trauma, blending traditional psychotherapy with innovative approaches to help clients heal at both a psychological and physiological level and step into the fullest version of themselves.
Stephen's style is warm and friendly while also intelligent, honest, experiential, and heart-centered.
His approach is experiential and spiritually informed, drawing on both traditional and innovative modalities to help clients release past hurts and grow into fuller versions of themselves.
He is especially passionate about men's work, helping men explore purpose, identity, relationships, and personal development, including both masculine and feminine energies.
Beyond his foundational clinical training, Stephen has pursued advanced approaches to healing.
He is a Level 5 trained Emotional Transformation Therapist (ETT), a modality that uses color and light to create precise brain stimulation, engaging both the psyche and physiology as part of treatment for a range of mental health concerns.
Stephen is also trained in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, having studied under Dr. Phil Wolfson, researcher and author of The Ketamine Papers, with training in the therapeutic use of ketamine for concerns including treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and trauma.
He has additionally completed MAPS training in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD in preparation for the potential future use of this treatment, subject to applicable regulatory approval.
Stephen founded the practice that became Coastwise Health and has been providing counseling services since 2003.
He earned his B.A. in Psychology from the University of San Francisco and his M.S. in Marital and Family Therapy from Loma Linda University, completing a COAMFTE-accredited program with extensive in-person clinical training, individual and group supervision, and live observed therapy sessions reviewed by instructors and peers.
His graduate thesis focused on Gestalt therapy and was reviewed and challenged by a panel of three university professors with specialized expertise in the subject. Stephen credits the rigor of that training with helping shape the therapist he is today.
Stephen's vision extends beyond his individual work with clients.
He is committed to cultivating a practice where truth, love, safety, and high-quality clinical care are foundational, supporting Coastwise clinicians so they can bring that same level of care to their clients.
The Coastwise offices have been intentionally designed around those values, creating an environment where therapists and clients can feel comfortable doing meaningful work.
His broader aspiration is for Coastwise to remain a trusted presence in the community, with excellent clinical care strengthening not only individuals and families but the community around them.
Stephen is an active member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT), and holds an Associate membership with the American Psychological Association (APA).
My style with clients is intelligent, heart-centered, experiential, and spiritual in nature, focused on helping people become their best self, free themselves from past hurts, and become better versions of themselves.Stephen D. Taus II, MS, LMFT
Tell us what is going on and we will say honestly whether Steve is the right clinician for it, or point you to someone who is.
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