Understand what shaped you.
Transform what comes next.
Highly individualized, culturally sensitive psychotherapy for navigating the effects of trauma, understanding patterns shaped by past experiences, and creating meaningful change.
The effects of trauma rarely stay in the past
Trauma can continue to shape your life long after the experience itself has passed. Its effects may influence how you see yourself, respond to stress, or connect with the people around you. Sometimes those connections are clear. Other times, you simply recognize that certain reactions or patterns keep repeating, even when you understand them intellectually and want something to change.
The meaning and impact of trauma are deeply individual. Your history matters, but so do your relationships, culture, identity, and the life you are living now. I tailor therapy to the way these experiences have come together for you, rather than relying on a single approach or predetermined formula.
Together, we can examine what continues to affect you and develop a deeper understanding of the patterns that have taken shape over time. That understanding can open new possibilities for how you relate to yourself, engage with others, and move forward with greater intention.
Areas of focus
01
Trauma and its lasting effects
Trauma can continue to shape how you feel, relate to others, and move through your life long after the original experience. Therapy can help you understand those effects and begin changing the patterns that developed around them.
02
Intergenerational trauma
The effects of trauma can extend across generations, influencing family relationships, beliefs, emotional patterns, and the ways people understand themselves. Therapy can help bring these inherited patterns into clearer view and create space for change.
03
Professional burnout and life challenges
Sustained pressure, major transitions, and demanding roles can leave you feeling depleted or disconnected from what once felt meaningful. Therapy can offer a thoughtful space to reassess what is happening and consider how you want to move forward.
About Dr. Franco
Dr. Fabiana Franco is a seasoned clinical psychologist whose work centers on trauma and its lasting effects. Over more than two decades, she has built a practice grounded in clinical experience, scholarship, and a nuanced understanding of how trauma can shape a person’s life.
Her expertise includes complex trauma, C-PTSD, dissociation, and intergenerational trauma, with a strong emphasis on culturally sensitive care.
A former Clinical Professor of Psychology at The George Washington University, Dr. Franco has also published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and is a featured author for Psychology Today. She brings that depth of experience to highly individualized therapy tailored to each client’s history, needs, and goals.
A thoughtful, individualized approach
Dr. Franco draws from a broad range of therapeutic approaches, selecting and integrating methods according to each client’s history, needs, culture, and goals. Treatment is shaped thoughtfully over time, allowing the work to reflect both the complexity of the person and the circumstances that brought them to therapy.
Psychodynamic Therapy, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Narrative Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy, Psychoanalytic Therapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Narrative Therapy
Emotion-Focused Therapy, DBT, and mindfulness-based approaches
Emotionally Focused Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, and Structural Family Therapy
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Dr. Franco's recently published articles
Recognizing and Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dr. Fabiana Franco’s article, “Recognizing and Treating Dissociative Identity Disorder,” was published in the Journal of Health Service Psychology, an official journal of the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a complex and often misunderstood condition that can be difficult to recognize, particularly when symptoms overlap with complex PTSD and other mental health concerns. In the article, Dr. Franco examines how DID can affect identity, memory, and a person’s sense of agency, while addressing the important role of careful assessment in distinguishing DID from other trauma-related conditions.
She also discusses the connection between DID and chronic developmental trauma and the importance of specialized, trauma-informed treatment. Rather than rushing into trauma processing, effective care places an emphasis on safety, stabilization, emotional regulation, and daily functioning before gradually addressing traumatic experiences.
Through a more accurate understanding of how DID presents and how it can be treated, Dr. Franco highlights the importance of moving beyond common misconceptions and providing thoughtful, informed care for people living with complex dissociation.
Differentiating DID, C-PTSD, and Dissociation
Dr. Fabiana Franco recently published an article on Psychology Today titled “Differentiating DID, C-PTSD, and Dissociation,” exploring how these closely related trauma conditions overlap while highlighting the important differences that guide accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
In it, she writes:
“C-PTSD, dissociative identity disorder (DID), and dissociation are closely connected, but distinguishing among them is essential for accurate diagnosis and appropriate care planning. Doing so requires careful attention to patterns involving memory, identity, agency, and relationships over time.”
The article covers:
- How dissociation can occur in C-PTSD, DID, and other mental health conditions
- The key differences between C-PTSD and dissociative identity disorder
- Why identity disruption and memory gaps distinguish DID from other trauma responses
- The importance of specialized trauma assessment for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning
Trauma, Resilience, and Recovery Trauma How Childhood Trauma Shapes Dissociative Identity Disorder
Dr. Fabiana Franco recently published an article on Psychology Today titled “How Childhood Trauma Shapes Dissociative Identity Disorder,” exploring how repeated childhood trauma can lead to dissociation and identity fragmentation.
In it, she writes:
“When a child cannot physically escape danger, the mind may seek to create psychological distance. Dissociation allows a child to detach from overwhelming pain, fear, or betrayal. This response can be protective in the short term, but severely damaging in the long term. What is calming to the young child can emerge later in life as DID.”
The article covers:
- How chronic childhood trauma contributes to dissociation and identity fragmentation
- Why dissociation develops as a survival response to overwhelming experiences
- The connection between attachment wounds, abuse, and DID
- How healing involves safety, communication, and integration among self-states