Zach Appenzeller, Psy.D.

I have the best job in the world. I get to sit across from people in their most vulnerable moments, help them understand what’s keeping them stuck, and teach them research-backed strategies to reclaim their lives. It’s meaningful, challenging, and endlessly rewarding.

I’m a Licensed Psychologist and Co-Director of the Texas Institute for Cognitive & Behavioral Therapies (CBTTexas) where I specialize in the evidence-based treatments of eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, mood, and personality disorders. My approach is rooted in science and guided by empathy. I believe therapy should be practical, effective, and deeply human.

Previously, I served as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, where I was honored to receive the Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award. I am the Founding Director of the UTHealth Houston Center for Eating Disorders, a comprehensive program in the Texas Medical Center offering outpatient, intensive outpatient (IOP), partial hospitalization (PHP), and inpatient care for adolescents and adults with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, ARFID, and OCD that impacts food and eating.

I trained under some of the foremost leaders in the field who shaped my deep appreciation for the science, and art of evidence-based treatment. I completed my predoctoral internship at Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital’s Center for Anxiety and OCD and Center for Eating Disorders, followed by an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine’s Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences' OCD and Related Disorders Program. My prior experiences span OCD specialty clinics, DBT programs, hospitals, residential treatment, schools, a university child development clinic, outpatient rehabilitation, and other premier CBT practices across the Washington, DC area.

Alongside clinical work, I've served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, teaching graduate-level courses on psychotherapy and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. I've mentored dozens of trainees across psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics at McGovern Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine, where I provided supervision and led CBT lecture series. I regularly provide trainings and consultations to community therapists, school counselors, medical providers, and families seeking to better understand evidence-based care.

Whether you're a patient or parent seeking care, or a provider looking for consultation or collaboration, I invite you to reach out and see if we might be a good fit to work together.

Training Experiences

• NIH-Funded Postdoctoral Fellowship: OCD and Related Disorders Program | Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences | Baylor College of Medicine 
• Predoctoral Internship: Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital | Center for Eating Disorders | Center for Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
• Doctoral Externships:
  • Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington (BTC)
  • MedStar Georgetown University Hospital | Department of Psychiatry | Center for Wellbeing in School Environments
  • Capital Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness
  • Insight Psychological Services
• Additional Professional Experiences:
  • UTHealth Houston Center for Eating Disorders l Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences l  McGovern Medical School l UTHealth Houston
  • Health Service Psychology Doctoral & Clinical Psychology Master’s Programs | Department of Psychological & Behavioral Health Sciences | College of Human Science & Humanities | University of Houston–Clear Lake (UHCL) 
  • Rankin Behavioral Health | Adult & Adolescent DBT Programs
  • Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute
  • Addiction Center of Broome County | Outpatient Clinic 
  • The High Frontier | Youth Residential Treatment Center
  • Children’s Unit for Treatment and Evaluation | Institute for Child Development | Psychology Department | Binghamton University 

DrZachAppenzeller@gmail.com | (571) 766-6340