About

I’m Iris, a licensed psychotherapist with 35 years of experience treating a variety of psychological issues from life transitions to childhood trauma. I help individuals and couples understand and work through the issues that may be interfering with their quality of life and relationships.

Therapy is a sacred partnership between the client and the therapist. I offer a calm, safe, and collaborative space where we can address what may be causing your distress. I will meet you where you are and help you find a pathway to change. I work best with clients who want to take an active part in their healing and view therapy as a journey of self-discovery and relational growth.

I am deeply committed to understanding what it takes to achieve healthy integration and wholeness. Though therapy can confront us with experiences of ourselves that hold confusion, sadness or pain, many of my clients come to see therapy as a doorway to deeper meaning and the lens through which they can find more clarity, confidence and fulfillment. My clients also report feeling less reactive and more flexibility when faced with life’s challenges.

My conceptual lens is psychodynamic and relational, and I have a warm, caring, and engaging style. I offer a variety of therapeutic modalities including EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Cognitive-behavioral, Mindfulness, The Comprehensive Recourse Model (CRM) and Addiction recovery including the 12 step model, as well as somatic based therapies and attachment-based approaches. These cutting-edge therapies incorporate the brain, the nervous system, and the body to address deeply-rooted issues.

Secure attachment and healthy connections are key. My work with couples includes teaching new skills, improving communication patterns, healing ruptures, and expanding abilities to stay in healthy connection. My approach has been informed by my training with Terry Real and Relational Life Therapy, and attachment-based approaches like Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) as well as my own 36 year partnership.

I have also participated in and co-led many couples retreats and workshops on these topics.

My Approach

My work is active, engaged, and deeply relational. I bring a wide range of established therapeutic methods to my work and use them with care and intention, choosing what best fits the concerns being presented and the goals you are working toward. I do not believe in one-size-fits-all therapy. Each person and each relationship requires a thoughtful and responsive approach.

With individuals, I work closely with thoughts and belief systems that have kept people caught in familiar patterns, even when those patterns interfere with receiving what they say they want in life. Much of this comes from early conditioning. Therapy offers the opportunity to slow down, examine these patterns, and begin to move beyond them so new ways of relating become possible.

With couples, I focus on teaching best practices for relating to one another. Many couples struggle not because of a lack of love, but because they have never learned how to stay connected during moments of conflict or vulnerability. Together, we work on slowing interactions down, listening more deeply, and responding with greater compassion and clarity. These skills create the foundation for deeper intimacy and closeness in a relationship.

Connection is central to my work. With individuals, this often means developing greater self-understanding and kindness toward oneself. With couples, it means learning how to relate in ways that support emotional safety, trust, and deeper listening, and learning to stay connected during moments of conflict or vulnerability.

Training and Therapeutic Approaches

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Interpersonal and psychodynamic therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Addiction recovery models, including 12-step support
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Imago Therapy
Relational Life Therapy for couples
Somatic and mind–body approaches
The Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM), a body-based trauma approach that supports safe and effective healing

Training and Education

NYU – Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Masters in Clinical Social Work (MSW)
Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (2 years post-grad certificate)
EMDR-certified therapist
Certified Relational Life Therapist (RLT)
Couples Workshop Trainer, Facilitator, and Educator
30-year yoga practitioner