Banu İbaoğlu Vaughn, PhD, LPC, LCMHC

Banu İbaoğlu Vaughn is a psychologist and licensed psychotherapist, Imago Relationship Therapy Faculty member, and Consultant with over two decades of experience working across cultural contexts in both the U.S. and Turkey. She holds a PhD in Psychology (Consciousness and Society) from the University of West Georgia, where her research focused on process-oriented approaches to dialogue and restorative practices.

Rooted in humanistic and existential traditions, Banu integrates relational, somatic, and depth-oriented approaches in her clinical work. She has worked in inpatient and outpatient settings with adults and families navigating trauma, addiction, and psychiatric conditions, and has maintained a private psychotherapy practice since 2005. As co-founder of the Turkish Imago Local Organization, she has played a key role in training Turkish-speaking therapists and expanding Imago work across the region. In addition to her clinical practice, Banu has taught psychology and psychotherapy at universities in both the U.S. and Turkey.

Alongside her deeply meaningful work with couples, Banu is interested in the community applications of dialogue. She has facilitated restorative and generative dialogue spaces in local communities in both countries. After the 2023 earthquakes in Turkey, she has been actively involved in psychosocial recovery efforts, developing trauma-informed support programs, and incorporating different aspects of Imago understanding. Together with her husband Matt, also an Imago therapist, she co-directs Alcyone Psychotherapy—a cross-cultural practice and ongoing relational “lab” grounded in over 25 years of shared life and learning. Her work blends thoughtful rigor with warmth, presence, and a playful respect for the complexity of being human.