Dr. Idil Franko

Dr. Idil Franko is a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Manhattan Behavioral Psychology, where she works with adolescents, young adults, adults, and families. She is also an adjunct clinical supervisor at the Psychological Center at CUNY. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress, mood and emotion regulation difficulties, binge eating, and teen/family challenges. She draws on extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Behavioral Parent Training to provide evidence-based care tailored to each client’s needs.

Prior to founding her practice, Dr. Franko served as a staff psychologist and clinical supervisor at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. There, she worked in the Intensive Adolescent and Family DBT Program, supporting adolescents and their families with emotion regulation difficulties, high-risk behaviors, impulsivity, and negative communication patterns.

Dr. Franko earned her doctorate from Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP), where she focused on the treatment of anxiety disorders, OCD, and PTSD. She trained under Dr. Terrence G. Wilson, a leading expert in eating disorders, in CBT for binge eating disorder, and received the Peterson Prize Award for her dissertation on weight stigma among mental health providers. She also completed advanced training at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, becoming certified in Exposure and Response Prevention (ExRP) for OCD and Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD.

Dr. Franko completed her predoctoral internship at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Manhattan. During this time, she received advanced training in Cognitive Processing Therapy, an evidence-based approach to treating post-traumatic stress. Dr. Franko’s background at the VA continues to shape her practice today, grounding her in a trauma-informed perspective. With this lens, Dr. Franko strives to create a safe, collaborative, and empowering therapeutic relationship, helping clients build on their strengths and foster resilience.

Following graduation, Dr. Franko worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants, where she received training under Dr. Alec Miller, an international expert in DBT who adapted the model for adolescents. She provided individual and group therapy within the SAGE program, an intensive outpatient program for young adults with executive functioning challenges, emotional and behavioral dysregulation, and avoidant behaviors.

Originally from Turkey, Dr. Franko brings a personal understanding to processes of relocation, cultural adjustment, and identity exploration. She is especially passionate about supporting immigrant clients in honoring their roots while fostering a sense of belonging and authenticity in their new environments.