Kristen Mackel

Kristen Mackel, LCSW, LICSW, LCSW-C brings 20 years of experience in providing mental health services within Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP) and Outpatient (OP) settings. She has extensive expertise in treating Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), disordered eating, return from injury, and performance enhancement.

Kristen specializes in several evidence-based therapies, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), and Radically Open DBT (RO DBT). Her training from renowned institutions such as McLean Hospital, Yale, the Beck Institute and the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) underscores her commitment to using the most effective therapeutic techniques.

In addition to her clinical work, Kristen provides specialized mental health and performance services for NCAA institutions, professional and Olympic athletes, pre-professional students, and high-performance professionals across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts. She is a listed provider in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Mental Health Directory (2021-2027) and is an active member of the IOCDF Anxiety in Athletes Task Force. Kristen also serves as a content expert for Voice in Sport (VIS). Before joining OCD Spectrum, Kristen directed the Premier Athlete Program at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital (WPH) and served as the Director of Mental Health and Counseling Services for student-athletes at the University of Pittsburgh for six years.