About Theresa Schaffer, LCSW

Telehealth/Online Anxiety Therapist

I became an OCD and anxiety specialist because I got tired of watching people do years of therapy without getting better. Not because therapy doesn’t work,  it does. But most of it isn’t designed for what OCD and anxiety actually require. Managing symptoms is not the same thing as treating them.

 

I’ve been a licensed clinical social worker in Georgia since 2001. I completed intensive ERP training through the International OCD Foundation and use both ERP and Inference-Based CBT depending on what fits. These aren’t approaches I learned in passing, this is the clinical focus I’ve built my practice around.

 

Here’s what I know after more than twenty years of this work: the clients who get better are the ones willing to do the uncomfortable thing. I’m not here to make therapy easy. I’m here to make it work.

My Approach

I use evidence-based treatment because my clients deserve more than good intentions. ERP is not a comfortable process, the point is to stop avoiding the thing that scares you,  and I’ll be honest with you about that from the beginning. I also use Inference-Based CBT for OCD and health anxiety, because ERP alone doesn’t reach everyone. Some people need to work on the reasoning behind the obsession before they can engage with the response to it. Most therapists who treat OCD don’t use I-CBT. I do. I’m direct in session. I’ll name what I’m seeing, push back when I think you’re accommodating the anxiety, and tell you when you’re doing something that’s making it worse.

 

I also have a sense of humor, which comes in handy because some of what anxiety makes people do is genuinely absurd, and sometimes it’s okay to say that.

Who I Work With

I work with adults who are ready to do more than talk about what’s wrong. My clients typically have OCD, panic disorder, health anxiety, social anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder. Some have tried therapy before without getting better. Some have trauma or a history with substances tangled up with the anxiety, and unlike most OCD specialists, I’m actually equipped to treat both.

 

The IOCDF has identified people with co-occurring OCD and substance use as an underserved population. I spent more than twenty years in substance use treatment. It’s not a side note in my background. It’s clinical depth most therapists in this space don’t have. I don’t work with children, adolescents, or couples, and I stay within my clinical focus. That’s not a limitation, it’s a commitment to doing this specific thing well.

Education & Training

Licenses & Certifications

  • I have been licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in the state of Georgia since 2001. License #003051.

Education background

  • Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of Florida-1989
  • Master of Social Work from University of Georgia-1997
  • I have received training in the following: 
    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
    • Motivational Interviewing 
    • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) through completion of BTTI intensive training through the International OCD Foundation
    • Mindfulness
    • Inference-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I-CBT)
    • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Professional Experience

  • I have over twenty years of experience providing individual and group therapy to adults with other mental health issues including anxiety disorders.
Services Provided

Take the Next Step With Theresa Schaffer

In our first conversation, we'll discuss what you're struggling with, explore whether my approach is right for you, and create a plan to help you start feeling better.
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