Michael Kahn, a professor of clinical psychology who held a host of other administrative roles during 31 years of service at the University of Hartford, died on January 2.
Kahn, the only child of German-Jewish parents who had escaped the Nazi regime, was born in 1936 in what is now Israel. When he was 2 years old, his family settled in New York City, and throughout his school years they moved several times, often due to financial difficulties. Due to a difficult homelife, for his own peace of mind Kahn escaped into music—jazz, mostly—and also developed an interest in psychoanalysis and family dynamics, which would eventually play a major role in his career.
He attended the City College of New York, where he received a bachelor's degree in English literature. He followed that by enrolling in a master’s program in psychology at the New School for Social Research.
While in school, Kahn worked at a Lucite sheeting company—at times a dangerous job involving toxic chemicals. At the age of 21, he accepted the company’s offer to become a salesman, then sales manager, and finally, at 29, vice president of sales and marketing.
When he turned 30, married and with two daughters, Kahn decided to leave sales and marketing behind to become a psychologist. He studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he focused on family therapy.
In 1970, Kahn was hired by the University of Hartford as director of its new Psychological Services Center; his executive skills were invaluable in guiding the psychology department’s emerging master's program in clinical practices. Several years later, in response to industry trends, the department moved toward developing a doctoral program. As interim director of that program, Kahn helped create the Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology. He then moved into its associate director position, as well as director of academic affairs. He regularly offered his students unique perspectives by integrating his previous managerial experiences with his clinical work.
Kahn served on the editorial boards of many professional journals, co-authored a book called The Sibling Bond, which was translated into four languages, and co-edited Siblings in Therapy. He was also a faculty guest at the Washington School of Psychiatry and served with the summer faculty at Smith College. For 50 years, he supervised and taught family therapy for psychiatric residents at the UConn Department of Psychiatry in Farmington.
Kahn retired from UHart in 2001 and joined the Emeriti Association. He had been the editor of the Emeriti Matters newsletter, which he helped found.
A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 31, at 12:15 p.m. in the Carling Chapel at McLean Retirement Community, 50 Sarah Lane, in Simsbury.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Dr. Michael D. Kahn to several organizations, including the University of Hartford Emeriti Scholarship Fund.