Hello! I'm Iris McAlpin Garrett. I'm a NARM® Master Therapist (LMFT-A) and online educator specializing in self-sabotage, eating disorders, grief, matrescence, and complex trauma. I have bachelor's and master's degrees in clinical psychology, and 4 years of advanced training in complex trauma. I also recently completed a year-long traineeship at a hospice helping individuals, families, and children cope with end-of-life, caregiver burnout and loss.
I want to take a step back though, because my story doesn't begin there. My interest in mental health began at a young age when a mental health crisis turned my family upside down. Although I didn't fully understand what was going on at the time, the ripple effects in my life were significant. After a series of traumatic events in my childhood, my own mental health began to suffer as well.
It started with depression and body image issues when I was 9 years old, and slowly
escalated to bulimia and complex PTSD. I self-medicated to find relief, but this only created more problems for me. For nearly 2 decades, I did everything I could to hide my struggles and it's truly a miracle I'm alive.
As I progressed through recovery, I began to see that the shame I felt about my struggles was nearly universal and that mental health stigma was part of a larger problem. I felt the only way to destigmatize mental illness was for more people to share our stories.
Thus, in 2015 I launched a mental health awareness campaign on my Instagram account @irismcalpin. There I discuss a wide range of concerns from trauma to bulimia, and share the tools and knowledge I picked up on the road to recovery. My intent in sharing my story is to show that no one is alone, recovery is worth the hard work, and support the global movement toward awareness, acceptance and support for everyone affected by psychological disorders.
Now I work with clients in both private and group settings. While many approaches emphasize symptom reduction and behavioral shifts, I use my training in developmental trauma to explore what's driving self-destructive behaviors and troubling symptoms. In my experience, when trauma is effectively addressed in a safe environment, the behaviors change organically and the symptoms resolve themselves.
I'm deeply grateful for my recovery and the life it has made possible for me. When I'm not working, you'll probably find me outside playing with my daughter, cooking, hiking or playing piano.
If you are interested in working with me in a one-on-one setting, please visit my therapy page to learn more. If want to join the waitlist for Bloom, an online program for healing self-sabotage, please click here. Bloom is open to clients anywhere in the world.
I look forward to connecting with you!
Xx
Iris
Proud Member of
