Licensed Providers
Dr. Josh Spitalnick is a Licensed Psychologist, Board Certified in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology (ABPP) and CEO/Practice Owner of Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta, an outpatient clinic in Dunwoody, GA. He also serves on the training faculty of the International OCD Foundation’s Behavior Therapy Training Institute (BTTI). In his clinical practice, Dr. Spitalnick specializes in the delivery of evidence-based interventions, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety and mood disorders, health anxiety, specific phobias, stress and trauma, medical complexities, and difficulties in relationship functioning. He works with children, adolescents and adults, families, and couples. He has notable subspecialties in pediatric anxiety (separation anxiety, sleep difficulties, selective mutism, phobias, etc), health anxiety, and OCD subtypes that are less commonly seen (harm OCD, moral scrupulosity, relationship OCD, sexual orientation OCD, etc), sometimes called Pure O subtypes of OCD.
Dr. Spitalnick is the co-author of two recent publications, including “The Complete Guide to Overcoming Health Anxiety,” offered in paperback and ebook options. This book has a corresponding website all about health anxiety, www.OvercomingHealthAnxiety.com. He is also the co-author of “Raising Resilience: 25 Tips for Parenting Your Child with Anxiety or OCD,” a parenting guide that has received international recognition, has been translated into Spanish, and has been published and disseminated by the International OCD Foundation’s quarterly newsletter in 2022.
Dr. Josh Spitalnick also enjoys working with C-level executives, businesses owners, professional athletes, and tv/movie/media personalities who find themselves struggling to navigate exciting yet challenging career paths, whether it’s dealing with performance anxiety, the uncertainties associated with lucrative career decisions, the sense of imposter syndrome, or the common fear of failure/success. He is also the owner of a healthcare-focused consulting business where he advises small to medium-sized clinical practices on how to create business policies and procedures that 1) emphasize clinical efficacy and customer service, 2) increase scalability and procedural efficiency, and 3) maximize profitability for all stakeholders.
Within the clinical community, Dr. Josh Spitalnick serves in a consulting capacity to various anxiety specialty clinics and practitioners in the delivery of evidence-based interventions for anxiety and OCD. He remains active as a research scientist, developing and evaluating software technologies that disseminate evidence-based interventions. Dr. Spitalnick has been a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on over 15 federally-funded (NIH, NIMH, CDC, USAF) interventions and programs to address a variety of important anxiety and health-related interventions, including pediatric anxiety, social anxiety, PTSD/TBI, tics and body-focused repetitive behaviors, STD/HIV risk prevention, weight loss, food-based allergies, sleep disorders, pain management, resilience training for healthcare workers, and substance use disorders, to name a few.
He is also very active in the Atlanta community in various volunteer roles, having served as a Board Member for OCD Georgia (the state-based affiliate to the International OCD Foundation), chair of mental health initiatives at local religious and educational organizations, and holds an appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Emory University’s School of Medicine where he trains physicians and other mental health care providers in the delivery of evidence-based intervention.
Dr. Josh Spitalnick has been a featured expert on The OCD Stories for Health Anxiety and for Understanding OCD in Children, Natasha Daniel’s (LCSW) Anxious Toddlers Parenting Survival Network, the International OCD Foundation’s OCD/COVID-19 Online Townhall for OCD, Social Isolation, and Social Anxiety, Chrissie Hodges’s OCD Gamechangers Fireside Chats, Uppercut, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Self.com, ABC News, Fox 5 News, NBC News, London Times, American Medical News, The Times-Georgian, The Discovery Channel’s Brink Series, NPR: The Kojo Nnamdi Show, Emory Magazine, American Psychological Association’s Webcast Portal, 11alive.com, myfoxatlanta.com, CNN.com, ScienceDaily.com, PsychCentral.com, Orlando Sentinel, and a variety of other local, regional, and national print, television, and online media outlets.
Having lived in Atlanta for over 45 years, Dr. Spitalnick is passionate about his local professional and collegiate sports teams, and he no longer needs to wait around for a UGA National Championship (Go Dawgs, the 2021 & 2022 Nat’l Champs!!). He loves stand-up comedy and has followed the best of the best in stand-up since his teenage years (Ellen Degeneres is his all-time favorite and having lunch with her remains on his very short bucket list). Dr. Spitalnick has been a percussionist for over 30 years, listens to music as much as possible, and simply can’t get enough of his favorite band, Phish.
Education, Training, & Professional Highlights
- 2000: Received M.A. in Forensic Psychology from John Jay College
- 2003: Received M.S. in Psychology from UGA
- 2004: Completed Internship/Residency at Boston University’s Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology
- 2005: Received Ph.D. from UGA
- 2005-2006: NIMH-funded Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Research Fellowship for HIV/AIDS interventions
- 2006: Appointed as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University
- 2006: Obtained License to practice in the State of GA
- 2008: Appointed as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University
- 2008: Completed Certification by USUHS to provide PE to treat PTSD
- 2010: Completed Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) training to treat PTSD among IOF/OEF Service Members
- 2013: Completed BTTI Certification (general) by the IOCDF to provide ERP to treat OCD
- 2013: Board Certified (AABP) in Behavioral and Cognitive Psychology
- 2014: Opened Anxiety Specialists of Atlanta, LLC (formerly Spitalnick & Associates)
- 2019: Completed BTTI Certification (Pediatric Specialty) by the IOCDF to provide ERP to treat OCD
- 2020: PSYPACT® (The Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact) approved to offer Telepsychology to all PSYPACT® states (click here to see if your state is included)
- 2021: Completed SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) training
- 2021: Completed SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) training for Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) and Failure to Launch (FTL) young adults
- 2021: Joined the Training Faculty of the BTTI (Behavior Therapy Training Institute) of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF)
- 2022: Co-author of “Raising Resilience: 25 Tips for Parenting Your Child with Anxiety or OCD,” a parenting guide that has received international recognition, has been translated into Spanish, and has been published and disseminated by the International OCD Foundation’s quarterly newsletter in 2022. A 10-video series was released in 2023 on ASoA’s YouTube channel to expand the reach of these resources.
- 2023: Co-author of “The Complete Guide to Overcoming Health Anxiety,” offered in paperback and ebook options. This book has a corresponding website all about health anxiety, www.OvercomingHealthAnxiety.com.
