Facilitator

Dr. Banu İbaoğlu Vaughn, PhD, LPC is a psychologist and seasoned psychotherapist specializing in dialogical and community-based interventions alongside her clinical practice. She earned her MA in Psychology with a clinical concentration and her PhD with a focus on Consciousness and Society, both from the University of West Georgia, viewing these studies as a continuous thread of the same work. Her professional experience spans multiple cultural contexts, including extensive disaster response in Turkey’s earthquake-affected regions and clinical and community work in the U.S., Turkey, and parts of Europe. With over 20 years of therapeutic experience and her role as faculty in Imago Relationship Therapy, Banu integrates dialogical, experiential, somatic, and creative practices into her teaching and therapeutic work.

Banu’s approach is rooted in existential and humanistic psychology, including over 15 years as a Focusing practitioner and teacher. Much of her work centers on the “quiet” aspects of a process-oriented understanding of the world. She brings a unique perspective to Psychological First Aid (PFA) and Psychosocial Support (PSS) through her commitment to dialogical presence and a focus on connecting theory to practical, community-based applications. Her work emphasizes the power of dialogue, listening, and cultural responsiveness, aiming to co-create supportive, empowering spaces for individuals and communities to process and reconnect to their resources.