Meet the Founders
The OCD Academy is focused on making comprehensive OCD-related information more accessible, with a key aim being to help individuals struggling with OCD.
We created the content of The OCD Academy based on our extensive collective experiences in the area of OCD. In the section below, we offer readers an overview of our individual backgrounds.
Dr. Kimberly Glazier Leonte
Kimberly is a licensed psychologist in the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Maine. She received a Masters in Clinical Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University and her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with Health Emphasis from Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. In addition, to being the Co-Founder of The OCD Academy, Kimberly is the founder and director of Clearview Horizons, PLLC, a group private practice that provides specialized care for children, adolescents, and adults struggling with OCD, anxiety, and perfectionism.
Kimberly’s passion for OCD was sparked through her work at McLean Hospital's OCD residential program. She then went on to work at the New York State Psychiatric Hospital’s OCD research team, did her Internship at Rogers Memorial Hospital’s residential OCD program, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Rogers Memorial Hospital’s partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient OCD and anxiety programs.
Kimberly’s initial experience at McLean, lay the groundwork for some of Kimberly’s research studies. She noticed a pattern in which countless clients had been in therapy for numerous years and seen multiple therapists before being informed that what they were experiencing was OCD. Furthermore, the clients shared the positive impact that learning about and finding effective OCD treatment had on their lives. This pattern led to Kimberly’s research that focused on the high rates of OCD misidentification among mental health providers, medical health providers, and mental health graduate students, and the need for increased awareness and education regarding OCD, in order to improve care for individuals with OCD.
In addition to increasing OCD awareness and education, Kimberly is passionate about reducing shame and stigma related to OCD, and mental health conditions in general.
Dr. Jacquelin Gouniai
Jacquelin is a licensed professional counselor specialized in treating OCD and anxiety. Jacquelin received her Master of Science in Clinical Psychology from the University of Guam and her Doctorate in Psychology from California Southern University. In addition to receiving extensive training from the International OCD Foundation, Jacquelin is a therapist at an OCD specialty practice where she provides exposure therapy (ERP), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to clients working on their OCD recovery. Jacquelin is also an adjunct professor for the psychology department at the University of Guam.
Jacquelin’s passion for treating and raising awareness about OCD stems from her personal OCD journey. At age 11, Jacquelin experienced her first OCD symptoms, although she did not recognize it as such at the time. Confused by what was happening to her, she desperately sought help from multiple mental health and medical professionals on Guam for several years. Although these professionals tried their best, they did not have the knowledge to identify Jacquelin’s symptoms as OCD and consequently could not provide effective treatment. Due to the widespread lack of OCD awareness combined with a lack of specialized care on Guam, Jacquelin did not receive proper treatment for her OCD until age 26, when she connected with an OCD specialist in New York and received treatment via teletherapy. Her long journey to find effective treatment formed her deep desire to spread awareness about OCD and to provide accessible online resources for those who cannot access individualized OCD treatment due to geographic location or finances.