POSTGRADUATE TRAINING 

Monmouth University  2009-2011
Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling

Georgian Court University  2004-2005
Teacher of the Handicapped Certification

​University of Dayton   1999-2003
​Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

About Me

WORK EXPERIENCE

Lauren Pellizzi LLC

11/2015 - present

Private practice specializing in obsessive-compulsive

and anxiety disorders.

Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center

8/2012 - present

Clinical Therapist, Emergency Psychiatric Services 

Community YMCA Counseling & Social Services                   

5/2011 - 3/2014
Children's Therapist

Jersey Shore University Medical Center 

6/2011 - 12/2011 
Mental Health Counseling Intern

YCS Laurie Haven Psychiatric Community Residence

9/2010 - 6/2011 
Mental Health Counseling Intern

YCS Sayre House Psychiatric Community Residence

11/2009 - 3/2011 
Residential Assistant Supervisor

180 Turning Lives Around, 2NDFLOOR Helpline

8/ 2009 - 1/2010 

Support Counselor

Calvary Christian School

1/ 2005 - 6/2009 
Special Education Teacher

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services  

2/2001 - 8/2003 
ABA Therapist                                                                         

​​EDUCATION

International OCD Foundation

OCD Conference 2020

​CBT Treatment of OCD and Autism Spectrum Disorders 

An Inhibitory Learning Approach to Exposure Therapy for OCD 

Incorporating ACT: Creative Hopelessness, Values, and Willingness Hierarchy 
Increasing Patient Motivation for Treatment
OCD, Relationships, and Sex 
OCD, Depression, and Suicidality 
Opioids, Marijuana, Alcohol and OCD 
Effectively Treating OCD in Patients with Eating Disorders 
Treatment Resistant Cases 
Virtual Individual and Group Therapy: The New Wave of Treatment 
Working with the Families of Treatment-Refusers 
Recent Research in Psychedelics and Implications for OCD Treatment 
Neurobiology of OCD: Molecules, Cells, and Circuits ​

​Biologically Based Treatments: Medication Updates

Academic and Occupational Perfectionism - When Striving for Just-Right is Just Wrong by Dr. Alec Pollard: OCDNJ (3/2019)

Advanced Training Forum Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI 2): Working with OCD-related disorders and co-occurring disorders (Autism-associated OCD, Hoarding Disorder, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder): IOCDF (10/2017)​

Treating OCD Obsessions that Generate Guilt, Shame and Disgust by Dr. Carol Hevia: OCDNJ (3/2017)

Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI): IOCDF (1/2017)

​​Anxiety and Depression Association of America

Applications of Inhibitory Learning in Exposure Therapy (4/2019)

CBT for Children and Adolescents with OCD: Incorporating Parents in Treatment and Managing Complex Symptoms (4/2016)

Four Keys to Making ERP Effective for OCD (6/2016)

Trail-Based Cognitive Therapy: A Novel Approach to Changing Core Beliefs (6/2016)

Contextualizing Exposure and Response Prevention with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: How to Enhance Inhibitory Learning in Exposure with Children and Teens (4/2016)

Expanding the Model of Social Anxiety Disorder: Investigations of Cognitive Processes (4/2016)

Mindfulness and Mind-Body Interventions with Trauma-Exposed Patients with PTSD, Depression and Substance abuse: Effects on Symptoms and Potential Neurobiological Mechanisms (4/2016)

Using Motivational Interviewing to Enhance Engagement in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (4/2016)

State-of-the-Art Therapeutics for Repetitive Behavior Disorders (4/2016)

Effective Treatment for Persistent Depression in Patients with Trauma Histories: Cognitive-Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (4/2016)

Parent-Based Treatment for Childhood Anxiety Disorders and OCD (4/2016)

Treatment of OCD in Children and Adolescents: Incorporating the Latest Findings from ACT with ERP in Clinical Practice

Medications in the Anxious Brain: Explaining the Strategic Use of Medications in CBT to Clients (4/2016)

Developing Experiential Practice In Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (4/2016)

Changing the Anxious Mind Rapidly by Dr. Reid Wilson (4/2016)

Treatment Planning for Hoarding (11/2015)

Other Postgraduate Training
Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions: Dr. Eli Leibowitz, Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at Yale Child Study Center (10/2019) 

Managing Anxiety at School and Home: An Active Approach to Interrupting the Worry Cycle: Lynn Lyons (9/2017)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I): University of Massachusetts Medical School (10/2016)

Foundations of Exposure Therapy: The Linehan Institute (6/2016)

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in the treatment of anxiety disorders in children, adolescents and adults.  My office is located in Monmouth County on the border of Middletown and Red Bank, New Jersey. I have a wide range of clinical experience in various settings including hospitals, schools, residential treatment facilities, and community mental health centers.  My expertise includes the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, and specific phobias.  My practice treats these populations almost exclusively.  Treatment is conducted within a cognitive behavioral framework and relies heavily on Expose & Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).  

My postgraduate training includes participation in training seminars and Master Lecture workshops specific to cognitive behavioral treatments of obsessive compulsive and anxiety disorders.  I am a graduate of the International OCD Foundation's Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI) and Advanced Training Forum BTTI.  In October 2019 I was trained by Dr. Eli Leibowitz, Director of the Program for Anxiety Disorders at Yale School of Medicine Child Study Center, in the implementation of the SPACE program, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions. I am also trained in the Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Insomnia (CBT-I) protocol established by Dr. Gregg  Jacobs, Behavioral Sleep Medicine Specialist, and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Overcoming fears cannot always be accomplished in the safety of an office. Exposure to feared situations in multiple settings with the clinician's support is a critical component of successful treatment.  I frequently conduct exposures in schools, stores, restaurants, hospitals, homes and various other locations to address the symptoms where they exist via Telehealth or in person if necessary. I offer a safe, non-judgmental space to explore your concerns, struggles, and identify the attainable goals that will improve your quality of life. 

Lauren Pellizzi LLC

Specialized OCD & Anxiety Treatment

​AFFILIATIONS

Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA)
International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)