Carolina Franco, PhD

Psychologist & Supervisor

Wendy Carolina Franco, PhD (she/her) is a clinical psychologist and equity consultant with fifteen years of experience in psychodynamic practice, trauma-informed care, and — most recently — ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. She works with individuals, families, and organizations, bringing a multifaceted clinical lens shaped by her work in hospitals, university settings, and private practice.

Dr. Franco is first and foremost a clinician. Her journey began as a member of an experiential psychodrama ensemble working with grieving families and palliative care patients, an experience that shaped her deep belief in the healing power of the therapeutic relationship. As a psychologist, she co-led the trauma, sex and gender, and first-generation specialized services teams at Columbia University. She is particularly proud of her work helping to build and sustain therapy programs for underserved, Spanish-speaking communities at Maimonides Medical Center and at the Psychological Center at City College, where she earned her Ph.D. Her clinical experience and her own background as an immigrant raised in New York City continue to inform her commitment to accessible, culturally responsive care.

Dr. Franco supervises and teaches therapists at the intersection of psychodynamic practice and psychedelic medicine. Her academic writing explores how psychotherapy can be a tool for addressing the impact of systemic oppression — proposing that clinical work must include deeper explorations of identity, culture, and historical context. She is the co-founder of an organization that advocates for reproductive justice through community storytelling and interactive art. She brings to all of her work a deep commitment to accessibility, relational depth, and the integration of identity, social location, and power into clinical practice and supervision.