ANXIETY SPECIALISTS
About UsWho We Are
We’ve chosen to dedicate our careers to working with anxiety and OCD because we’ve seen how powerful evidence-based therapy can be.
We’re honored to work with our clients, helping them face fears and take big steps forward. We see lives transformed by the hard work our clients do in therapy. Our clients are starting families, changing careers, and moving across the country, freed from anxiety to make their own decisions and start the next chapter of their lives. We can help you get there too!
Our Therapists
Sam Kramer, PhD
He/him
Ages I work with:
Adults and adolescents 16+
Languages I speak:
English
Who I am:
I am a cisgender, heterosexual male, and use he/him pronouns.
I love working with:
- People who identify as overthinkers.
- Older teens and adults who struggle with repetitive thoughts like rumination, worry, and mental compulsions.
- Adults with social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia.
- Adults with fears of flying.
My training background and therapy approaches include:
I received my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale and completed my predoctoral internship at the Salem VA Medical Center in Salem Virginia. I went on to complete my postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for OCD and Anxiety-Related Disorders at Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute, where I continued to practice for over four years treating anxiety at the outpatient and IOP level of care. I specialize in treating adults with OCD. I also enjoy treating panic disorder and phobias.
How I help:
Facing anxiety can feel like a daunting task. I work to meet clients where they are and to collaboratively help them identify their goals and create a step-by-step path to recovery. I approach therapy with a relaxed and personable therapeutic style, and I encourage clients to not only understand what strategies work, but also why they work. Clients can expect to learn how to address their anxiety during sessions and then apply what they learned with daily homework between sessions. I aim to empower my clients by teaching them the strategies they will need to act as their own therapist and continue to maintain their progress after they have completed therapy to experience lifelong change.
More about me:
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two children, hiking and enjoying the outdoors, and playing guitar every chance I get.
Amy Kurz, MSW, LCSW
She/her
Ages I work with:
Adults, Teens, and Children 10+
Languages I speak:
English
Who I am:
I use she/her pronouns.
I love working with:
- Teens who have finally realized that their OCD is not their fault and have shared that they want help.
- Teens and college students with social anxiety who are hard on themselves and want to learn self-compassion.
- College students with perfectionistic tendencies who are realizing that the usefulness of perfectionism has started to wear off.
- Adult women with OCD who have come to understand that they cannot support others until they give themselves the time and attention they need.
- People with phobias (especially emetophobia- fear of vomiting) who are tired of how it impacts their life.
My training background and therapy approaches include:
I completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University and my master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. I have been a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) since 2009 and in the past worked in foster care and with girls exiting sex trafficking. While working in foster care I discovered my passion for individual therapy, especially working with teens, tweens and adult women.
I specialize in the treatment of OCD and anxiety related disorders including social anxiety, generalized anxiety, phobias, panic, separation anxiety, and body focused repetitive behaviors such as trichotillomania (hair pulling) and excoriation disorder (skin picking). I am also trained in EMDR (eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing) which is an evidence-based treatment for trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I have over eight years of experience specializing in the treatment of anxiety and OCD.
How I help:
My style is open and collaborative. I welcome questions and work hard to ensure that my clients feel seen and understood. My goal is to help clients take skills and strategies learned in session and use them independently. I firmly believe that therapy is an investment in the future, even though it’s hard work now. Most things that are worthwhile in life are not easy and this is no exception!
More about me:
In my free time, I enjoy curling up with a cup of tea and a good book, listening to live music, taking walks in the park, playing with my dog and watching HGTV.
Jasmine Bailey
She/her
Ages I work with:
Children 10-12, teens and adults
Languages I speak:
English
Who I am:
I am an African American female and use she/her pronouns.
I love working with:
Children and young adults with panic disorder, generalized anxiety, and worry.
My training background and therapy approaches include:
I am currently a doctoral candidate at Ponce Health Science University in the Clinical Psychology Program. I have a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Webster University program and have completed internships in counseling services for my master’s program at the Crime Victims Center, a private practice in which I provided individual therapeutic services to teens, and conducted achievement and cognitive testing for school age children and adolescents.
When working with clients I use primarily Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
How I help:
My style is authentic and straightforward. My goal is to help you learn CBT skills so that you can cope better with anxiety and live the life you want. I enjoy celebrating your successes with you!
More about me:
In my free time I enjoy spending time with family and my dog, talking about different genres of music, watching historical events on television and shopping.
Maria Cognata
She/her
Ages I work with:
Adults, teens, children
Languages I speak:
English, Spanish
(I can do sessions in Spanish if that is the client’s preferred language.)
Who I am:
I use she/her pronouns.
I love working with:
- Teens, young adults, and adults with contamination, symmetry/balance, and existential OCD.
- Teens and young adults dealing with social anxiety.
- Teens, young adults, and adults with generalized anxiety or health anxiety.
All identities, cultures, and backgrounds are welcome and supported in my office.
My training background and therapy approaches include:
I earned my bachelor’s degree in sociology and international studies at Saint Louis University and my master’s degree in social work with a concentration in clinical mental health at the Brown School at Washington University in Saint Louis. I completed my social work clinical internship at the Multicultural Counseling and Research Center and at the same time formed part of the Casa de Salud Mental Health Collaborative. When working with clients, I offer a holistic approach that considers the ways in which biology, upbringing, culture, systems, and trauma can influence thoughts and behaviors. While considering the importance of each of these factors, I also strive to provide the client with concrete tools and strategies to help them reach their goals.
My approach is drawn from from the theoretical framework of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and includes tools and strategies taken from Exposure and Response Prevention, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
How I help:
I am open, non-judgmental, easygoing, and empathetic. I want clients to feel comfortable to bring their authentic selves to sessions with me and utilize a strengths-based perspective, meaning I believe that everyone I work with has strengths to build upon. I see clients as the experts of their own lives and therapy as a collaborative process. I know that the healing process is a journey that is not always linear and that it is helpful to have someone who can accompany you through the ups and downs. I will offer practical tools and strategies to help the client live a better quality of life based on their goals and walk beside them as they explore what works best for them. My goal is to provide clients with solution-focused ways in which they can better manage their distress both in and outside of the office while also celebrating their progress along the journey.
More about me:
In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, being outdoors, gardening, reading, listening to music and podcasts, and learning new things.
Sarah Kertz, PhD
Owner and Director of Anxiety Specialists of St. Louis
She/her
Ages I work with:
18+ years
Languages I speak:
English
Who I am:
I’m a cisgender, heterosexual White female. I use she/her pronouns.
I love working with:
- Adults with OCD themes related to health, contamination, harm, and “taboo” themes.
- Women with fears around vomit, driving, and other specific phobias.
- Women in their 30s, and 40s trying to balance parenting, work, relationships, and running a household.
My training background and therapy approaches include:
I earned my PhD in clinical psychology in 2011 from the University of Louisville. I completed my predoctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical school and then accepted an academic position in the Psychology Department at SIU where I worked for 8 years primarily teaching and supervising graduate students in the doctoral program and undergraduate psychology majors. I also directed a research lab and supervised numerous dissertation and masters thesis projects. I’ve published over 35 peer reviewed articles and authored or co-authored over 100 conference presentations at conferences of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and the International OCD Foundation. I moved to full time clinical work in 2020.
My primary approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, mindfulness and acceptance
How I help:
My style is down to earth and focused on your progress. I try to balance support with firmness when it’s helpful. In session I teach practice strategies to work with anxiety in new ways in order to reach meaningful goals. I use a structured approach and ask my clients to complete homework assignments between sessions and to track their progress. Most of the work happens outside of our meetings! I love to celebrate successes with a “yay!” I’m impressed every day by my client’s bravery and vulnerability.
More about me:
In my free time I enjoy planning trips (and taking them–but the planning is at least half the fun), talking about cats, spending time with my two-year old at local playgrounds, and cooking vegetarian food.
