Meet Iris Wilson-Farley
MHP, MBA, CTP, Intern Therapist
(she/her)
Hi, I’m Iris Wilson-Farley, a clinical mental health counseling intern at ARCH Counseling Center. I work primarily with adults who are seeking support as they explore their identity, process grief and aging, manage anxiety or low mood, and work to enhance sexual wellness. As a sex-positive, queer affirming therapist, I am committed to creating a welcoming and inclusive space where you can express yourself authentically and work toward your personal goals. My approach is collaborative and compassionate, empowering you to navigate life’s challenges and discover new possibilities for growth and fulfillment.
More about Iris
Education, Background & More
I believe that the most effective approach to therapy is one where you and I journey alongside each other, working together to explore paths that lead toward change and wellbeing. My role is to listen, empathize, and work with you to build a therapeutic relationship that supports the growth that you want to achieve. My aim is to create a warm and secure space for you to explore what matters to you, while helping you to enhance your sense of wellness and wholeness.
My therapeutic approach focuses on relationships, personal empowerment, and cultural humility. Integrating relationship-focused therapy, narrative therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment therapy with other evidence-based interventions, I will work with you to collaboratively define a plan for treatment that makes sense, feels achievable, and connects with who you are and what you want to put out into the world.
I am currently working towards my master’s degree in clinical Mental Health Counseling at the Chicago School, and a certification in sex therapy from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). Counseling is a new career direction for me after more than three decades of experience in corporations spanning a variety of industries. In my time as a Human Resources professional, I gained an appreciation for the ways that who we are and what we do can sometimes intertwine with each other to support self-integration and often collide with one another to challenge mental wellbeing.
Whether you are here to explore identity, find more effective ways to cope with life transitions, work through anxiety, depression, or loss, or to enhance your sexual wellness, I am committed to providing evidence-based support and resources, and to walking alongside you on your journey toward mental wellbeing and positive change.
Iris’s speciality areas include:
- Anxiety, OCD, and Panic Disorders
- Career Counseling
- Depression and Mood Disorders
- LGBTQIA+ Counseling
- Life Transitions
- Personal Growth and Development
- PTSD/Trauma, Grief, and Loss
- Relationship and Intimacy Counseling
- Working towards obtaining my Certification in Sex Therapy from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).
At ARCH Counseling Center, we believe in building strong therapeutic relationships. Iris’s compassionate approach and commitment to client-centered care makes her an invaluable member of our team.
Contact Iris today to schedule your first therapy appointment, or for a free 15-minute consultation.
Mental Health Matters
Articles & Resources from Iris
Relationship Diversity, Attachment, and Building Secure Connections
Relationships come in many forms, and there is no single "right" way to build a meaningful connection. While monogamy remains the most familiar relationship structure in our culture, many people choose consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships, including...
Pride Month: Celebration, Resistance, and the Healing Power of Community
A reflection on minority stress, resilience, and support during Pride Pride Month is many things at once. It is celebration, visibility, joy, and hard-won affirmation. It is also resistance: a reminder that LGBTQ+ lives, relationships, and identities have always...
Gender Euphoria: Making Space for More Than Just Dysphoria
When people talk about transgender mental health, the conversation often centers on gender dysphoria—the distress that can come from a mismatch between someone’s gender identity and their body, social role, or how others see them. For many people, dysphoria is very...