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Leilani (Lani) Taholo has a doctorate degree of Social Work from the University of Utah, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and is the Clinical Director of Child and Family Empowerment Services. Lani and her husband, Ben Taholo, are the co-founders of Child and Family Empowerment Services, an outpatient mental health clinic. She has been in the field of Social Work for 37 years. Lani has served as its Clinical Director for the last 17 ½ years. Additionally, she has worked with children, youth, and families who have suffered trauma in Salt Lake and Utah Counties under the Utah State Division of Child and Family Services for two decades. Lani also served as a trainer of the Family Group Conference model from New Zealand to other social workers around the country for the American Humane Association. 

She has been a program developer for Pacific Islander youth under Juvenile Justice custody and facilitated a 4-year federal grant curriculum to reduce recidivism. She has lived in Peru and Tonga and traveled to Ecuador.  She speaks and writes fluent Spanish. Her passion is to serve families that have suffered trauma of diverse backgrounds. Her dissertation includes Kaimana, a trauma curriculum she created to address Pacific Islander populations that have been impacted by self-harm and violence. 

Lani comes from a philosophy of empowerment and diversity. Her approach is to help her client(s) feel supported and grounded. Lani has experience working with individuals, couples and families using TF CBT (Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy), RTR (Relationship Trauma Repair), DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), Guided Imagery and other client-centered approaches for skill building and long-term healing. Lani has worked with clients from many walks of life and believes the ultimate healing comes from the client. She partners with the client to facilitate the process of developing realistic plans from their cultural worldview.