Laura Chackes

Dr. Chackes, founder and owner of The Center for Mindfulness & CBT, is a licensed psychologist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety and related disorders, especially Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) like Skin Picking Disorder and Trichotillomania. She received her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago in 2005, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute (SLBMI)’s Anxiety Disorders Center. She worked as a staff psychologist with the Anxiety Disorders Center for six years, further developing her specialty in empirically-based treatments for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Response Prevention (E/RP), Habit Reversal Training (HRT) and Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT). While at SLBMI, Dr. Chackes was also part of the Forensic Evaluation Division, where she was trained in conducting psychological evaluations for attorneys, and giving expert witness testimony.

Dr. Chackes is a leading expert in the treatment of body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as skin picking and hair pulling. She has developed and run treatment groups for children, adolescents, and adults at the center, and teaches courses online to adults with BFRBs, as well as to train therapists how to treat these disorders. To learn about these courses or free online trainings, join her private Facebook group at http://bit.ly/helpforbfrbs.

Dr. Chackes conducts initial evaluations for severe cases of OCD, Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Social Anxiety, and other anxiety and related disorders to determine if the individual is a good candidate for our intensive outpatient program (IOP). For more information please complete an IOP Screening Form.

Dr. Chackes teaches Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and is a trained Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) instructor. She has worked with athletes individually as well as entire teams, and has lead workshops and courses at various organizations and businesses around the St. Louis area. She also presents on mindfulness with various populations at national and international conferences.

Dr. Chackes conducts forensic evaluations and serves as an expert witness to assist attorneys in answering questions for the courts regarding diagnoses, treatment needs, mental injuries resulting from trauma, and sentencing mitigation.