Theresa Schaffer

Hello, I'm Theresa, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience helping adults navigate anxiety-related concerns. I specialize in working with OCD, and anxiety disorders including panic disorder, health anxiety, social anxiety and generalized anxiety. Additionally, I have expertise in helping those who use substances to cope with anxiety. My work is informed by advanced training in evidence-based treatments and years of clinical experience.

I use structured, evidence-based therapy approaches to help clients change how they relate to anxiety. Sessions are collaborative, practical, and goal-oriented. Depending on your needs, treatment may include skill-building, exposure-based strategies, and learning to respond differently to anxious thoughts and physical sensations. Therapy is paced, supportive, and tailored to your specific concerns.

Many clients come to therapy looking for relief, reassurance, or certainty. My role is to help you build confidence in your ability to handle uncertainty, so anxiety no longer dictates your choices.

I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based approaches, blending structure with warmth and compassion. For those with OCD, I use Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Inference based-CBT (I-CBT) which are the gold standard in treating OCD. Lastly, I use Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) with those who are using substances to cope with symptoms.

Clients often describe me as grounding, authentic, and practical. My goal is to help you feel at peace in your daily life.

Our first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and start building a comfortable, trusting space for you to share what’s been going on. I’ll complete a assessment, which means we’ll talk about your current symptoms, life stressors, personal history, strengths, and goals. This helps me understand you as a whole person not just your anxiety or symptoms.

Together, we’ll start to identify patterns that contribute to your anxiety and outline an initial treatment plan tailored to your needs. I’ll explain what approaches may be most helpful (such as CBT, ACT, or mindfulness-based strategies) and make sure the plan feels collaborative and realistic.

By the end of the session, you’ll have a clear sense of direction, what to expect from therapy, and some initial tools or ideas to begin using between sessions.

If you’re ready to stop letting anxiety running the show, I’d love to help you take that first step.

Please schedule a brief consultation phone call before we schedule a session to ensure we are a good fit.