Just because it is hard to do, does not mean it is impossible to achieve

Just because it is hard to do, does not mean it is impossible to achieve

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About Fran Weiss

I have a private practice in Manhattan, NYC on the Upper West Side, treating adults (college age and up) with a wide range of emotional and interpersonal challenges. As a psychotherapist with over thirty years of experience, I am always learning — from my clients and colleagues and from new research in my own and related fields.

I hold a dual Faculty appointment at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NYC, as Associate Clinical Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Environmental Medicine & Public Health.

For three decades I have been the Senior Psychotherapy Consultant to the New York Nutrition and Obesity Research Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in affiliation with Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, and Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan.

I am a resource specialist for the Center for Sleep Medicine at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, and have also been a resource specialist for the Joslin Clinic at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital, NYC. In addition to clinical practice I am involved with NIH research projects.

I am on the Board of Directors of the International Board for Certification of Group Psychotherapists of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA), chair its Standards Committee, and in November of 2021 was named a Fellow of AGPA by its Board of Directors.

I am on the editorial board of the American Journal of Psychotherapy (APA) and also that of Group, The Journal for the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society, and recently served as Guest Editor of the American Journal of Psychotherapy's June 2021 Special Issue on Group Psychotherapy.

I train, teach and run workshops nationally.

Choosing a therapist is serious business. Credentials are important. These I have. However, it is the fit that counts. The work in therapy is co-created by both the therapist and the individual. I believe that change can happen. It takes time and effort on both parts, and partnering with someone who "gets it" and helps you move to where you want to go.

I work within healthy developmental concepts to optimize life. Central to this is the understanding of what elements make for lasting and meaningful connections with others. I like to view myself as a specialist in helping people move to a place where they can live their lives more fully. I "partner" with individuals to help them find a way to get beyond their internal road blocks in negotiating and resolving issues. Link to my Areas of Expertise to learn more.

When appropriate, I work closely with nutritionists, diabetes educators, endocrinologists, psychiatrists, sleep disorder specialists, and other physicians. I am adept at developing interdisciplinary treatment teams.

Traditionally trained in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic talk therapy, I have investigated, studied, and integrated when appropriate, many forms of therapeutic intervention into my practice. I have developed a large toolbox of skills from which to draw. Psychoanalytic thinking, neuroaffective developmental psychology, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy, mindfulness skills, somatically focused psychotherapy such as sensorimotor psychotherapy for trauma, interpersonal neurobiology, and neuroscience research inform my current practice. My work reflects the best thinking and practices referenced from up-to-date research in the medical scientific literature.

I work individually and in groups, where a team effort supports quick results. In both modalities we dig deep for real answers. I also work with couples. Executives, professionals and academics benefit from an expectation of excellence. On the other side of the spectrum I work particularly well with those who are starting their careers and are encountering roadblocks, and with those having interpersonal difficulty — whether looking for a relationship or being in a relationship that seems stuck or in trouble, and with those experiencing loss or stuck in a background of trauma. I'm also particularly skilled in working with eating and weight regulation issues.

Optimally, therapy is a growth experience. Life can be transformed into something powerful and authentic. Successful treatment results in you moving on with your life, having gained a new ability to interact and connect with people in ways that work, make sense to you, and that you can be proud of. Living your life fully and richly.

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