About Fran Weiss
Fran Weiss is an expert clinician with an individual, couples and group therapy practice in Manhattan; and an Associate Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She treats anxiety, depression, trauma, body image, disordered eating, women's health and interpersonal issues. She is deeply experienced in the complications of love and loss, and has been a lifelong student in a wide range of disciplines. Her current practice is informed by neuroscientific research on the plasticity of the brain, modern attachment theory, and sensorimotor therapy. She is particularly excited by experimental results indicating that brain plasticity remains throughout life, offering a neural basis for therapeutic change. Techniques developed from this research, which help patients gain mastery over mental states sometimes experienced as "out of control," have been integrated into her clinical practice.
Fran Weiss is known for her pioneering work in the psychodynamic causes of disordered eating, and her work putting together interdisciplinary teams to treat patients with mind/body problems. She has been the Senior Psychotherapy Consultant to the New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center since 1979. She has taught and supervised psychiatric residents, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists and nurses. She also developed and conducted a six-month seminar series for premedical students from the Institute of Human Nutrition affiliated with Columbia Presbyterian, titled "Psychosocial Behavior Approach to the Treatment of Eating Disorders." She is a Board Certified Group Psychotherapist (1994); Board Certified Diplomate (1988); Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (1987); Diplomate, the Former American Board of Psychotherapy (1988-1993); and Board Certified Specialist with Children and Their Families, American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work, (ABECSW). She has been a guest lecturer at NYU and Columbia Universities, and a resource person for NBC, CBS, and The New York Times. She has given presentations, run workshops, and taught courses at the national meetings of the American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA); the Eastern Group Psychotherapy Association, (EGPS); and the Northeastern Society for Group Psychotherapy, (NSGP).
Mike Devlin, MD, past president of the Academy of Eating Disorders has said "Fran's publications on body image assessment and treatment of body image disturbances are seminal. As far back as 1986, her American Journal of Psychotherapy paper on "The evaluation and treatment of body image disturbances among obese individuals" paved new ground and served as a major inspiration for experiential body image work. As it became clear that traditional psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches had limited ability to deeply impact body image, Fran and others began to mine the potential of combining traditional psychodynamically-based approaches with more powerful techniques that address the development of body self and the need for mind-body integration in order to bring about lasting change."
Certifications
- 2009 to Present
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Board Certified Specialist with Children and Their Families.
American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work
- 1994 to Present
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Certified Group Psychotherapist
American Group Psychotherapy Association
- 1988 to 1993
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Diplomate, American Board of Psychotherapy
- 1988 to Present
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Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work, American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work
- 1987 to Present
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Diplomate, Clinical Social Work, National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
- 1972 to Present
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New York State License Board Certified Clinical Social Worker
- 1972 to Present
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Board Certified Clinical Social Worker, New York State Education Department
Professional Societies
- Academy for Eating Disorders
- American Group Psychotherapy Association
- Eastern Group Psychotherapy Society
- Employee Assistance Society of North America (EASNA)
- GAINS, Global Association for Interpersonal Neurobiology Studies
- National Association of Social Workers, Private Practice Section
- Northeastern Society For Group Psychotherapy, Inc.
Academic Appointments
- 2007 to Present
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Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NYC
Associate Clinical Professor
Department of Community and Preventive Medicine - January 1998 to Present
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Lecturer : Department of Psychiatry Mount Sinai School of Medicine