Center For Education Psychology Instructor

Dr. Thea Gallagher, PsyD

Thea Gallagher, PsyD, is a nationally recognized psychologist and anxiety specialist, and is an associate professor and director of wellness programs in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Gallagher previously held several positions at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, including assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, clinic director, media coordinator, and counseling psychologist at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety and clinical director of COBALT, a digital wellness platform for employees at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Gallagher specializes in prolonged exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), exposure and response prevention for obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and cognitive-behavioral treatments for other mental health illnesses such as social anxiety, panic disorder, specific phobias, generalized anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, and depression. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Gallagher serves as the digital mental health, outcomes, and wellness coordinator. In this role, she is enhancing mental health support and resources for NYU Langone’s health care workers through digital content, particularly during this critical time when so many healthcare workers have suffered various levels of burnout due to the strains of the COVID pandemic. Dr. Gallagher obtained her PsyD in clinical psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. She then completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty where she has worked for the past seven years. Over the course of her career, Dr. Gallagher has presented at several national and international conferences, led dozens of cognitive behavioral therapy trainings, and published numerous research papers, review articles, and book chapters. She is regularly featured in national media outlets and hosts a mental health-focused podcast, Mind in View.