Zachary S. Appenzeller, PsyD

Biography

Zachary S. Appenzeller, Psy.D, is an Assistant Professor in the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston). Dr. Appenzeller is the Founding Director of The UTHealth Houston Center for Eating Disorders, a multi-step program that provides evidence-based treatments for adolescents and adults with eating disorders at the outpatient, intensive outpatient, and partial hospitalization levels of care.

As a licensed clinical psychologist, he broadly specializes in cognitive-behavioral therapies for a range of presenting concerns, with special interest and expertise in the treatment of eating disorders (particularly anorexia and bulimia nervosa), anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and personality disorders. Problem-specific treatments that he provides are Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT-E), Maudsley Family-Based Treatment (FBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT). In his work with adults, adolescents (and parents), Dr. Appenzeller has the ultimate goal of helping his patients understand and effectively address their maladaptive behaviors and beliefs in order to decrease their suffering and enhance their quality of life.

Dr. Appenzeller earned his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The Chicago School’s Washington D.C. Campus and completed his predoctoral internship at Ascension Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital’s Center for Eating Disorders and Center for Anxiety and OCD. He went on to complete an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ OCD and Related Disorders Program. Dr. Appenzeller previously served as an Adjunct Professor at The University of Houston – Clear Lake, where he taught doctoral and master level psychology courses on The Development and Treatment of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, and Psychotherapy Skills and Professional Orientation. He trained previously at the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington, the Arlington/DC Behavior Therapy Institute, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s WISE Center, Rankin Behavioral Health’s DBT Programs, the Capital Center for Psychotherapy and Wellness, Insight Psychological Services, the Addiction Center of Broome County, the High Frontier Youth Residential Treatment Center, and Binghamton University’s Institute for Child Development.