Maritza Gonzalez Shepherd

Maritza Gonzalez Shepherd is a Licensed Social Worker and the Director of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy at The Anxiety Center. She works primarily with adults and young adults navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, neurodivergence, perfectionism, high achievement stress, maternal mental health, relationship and parenting challenges, life transitions, and identity-related stressors. 

She provides LGBTQ+ affirming care and also works with veterans, first responders, and individuals experiencing career- and performance-related stress.

Maritza’s clinical approach is warm, grounded, authentic, and collaborative. She practices from a structured, person-centered, and culturally sensitive framework, integrating evidence-based modalities such as CBT, ACT, DBT, mindfulness, motivational interviewing, parts work, hypnotherapy, DARTT, somatic and trauma-focused care, and relational and depth-oriented approaches. Her work is guided by a neuroscience and attachment-informed lens to support emotional safety, pacing, and meaningful relational repair.

As Director of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, Maritza specializes in ketamine-assisted therapy preparation and integration, supporting clients before, during, and after treatment within ethical, evidence-based, and harm-reduction frameworks. She follows the full Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy continuum of care, with a strong emphasis on preparation and integration to support lasting change. Her work at The Anxiety Center aligns directly with ketamine and esketamine services, ensuring clients feel informed, grounded, and supported throughout the process.

Maritza is actively involved in advancing standards of care for psychedelic-assisted therapies. She volunteers with MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies), participates in Psychedelic Science conferences, and collaborates with The Ohio State University’s CPDRE P.E.A.C.E. program as an advisor supporting standards for psychedelic crisis response. Long-term, she hopes to help establish integration groups for clients and contribute to a local professional collective focused on ethical practice, consultation, and shared learning.