Meet Angela Schedler, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker · Founder, Zen + Zest Therapy ServicesCertified Crisis Intervention Specialist · Certified Aromatherapist · Reiki Master

Who I am

Zen + Zest didn't come from a business plan. It came from a truth Angela kept witnessing: people in their most painful moments being turned away, overlooked, or made to feel like they were simply too much for the systems meant to help them.

She built this practice to say something different. You are not too much, and you are not alone.

As both founder and clinician, Angela brings a rare combination of clinical depth and genuine warmth to her work. She has spent years alongside people in moments of real crisis including trauma, grief, overwhelming emotion, and the kind of pain that doesn't fit neatly into a diagnosis. What she's learned is that healing rarely happens through technique alone. It happens in the steadiness of a relationship, in a space where someone can finally stop holding it all together and just be honest about where they are.

Who I work with

Angela works with adults navigating a wide range of presentations, including crisis, trauma, and severe and persistent mental illness. She has extensive experience supporting individuals living with mood disorders such as bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, psychotic disorders including schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder, and adults on the autism spectrum. She understands that these experiences require more than surface-level support and that the people living with them deserve a clinician who is not intimidated by complexity, who shows up consistently, and who treats them as whole people rather than a set of symptoms.

My Approach:

Angela's style is trauma-informed, solution-focused, and deeply collaborative. She weaves evidence-based clinical practice with real human presence, meeting clients not where they should be, but where they actually are. She is not a passive presence in the room. Angela actively engages with her clients, exploring ideas and options together, gently challenging thoughts and patterns that may be keeping them stuck, and helping them discover new ways of seeing themselves and their circumstances. Clients describe her as warm, intuitive, and gently direct: someone who helps you slow down, tune in, and find your footing without ever making you feel rushed or judged.Her work is shaped by an understanding that the mind, body, and spirit are not separate. They are always in conversation with each other. Angela's training as a Clinical Aromatherapist and Reiki Master informs the way she thinks about healing holistically, bringing a whole-person sensibility to her clinical work even within a traditional therapy framework. It is part of what shaped the philosophy behind Zen + Zest itself: that real healing has to account for the whole person, not just the presenting problem.

Whether you are in the middle of a personal crisis, navigating something that feels too big to name, living with a diagnosis that others have struggled to understand, or simply trying to get through the week, Angela's door is open.

Training & Education

Angela holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Ohio University and a Master of Social Work from Fordham University. She is certified in Crisis Intervention through the NYC Department of Correction training program, and holds certifications as both a Certified Aromatherapist and Reiki Master, an integrative foundation that sets Zen + Zest apart from traditional outpatient practices.

Service Location

Angela sees clients in person at our Greenwich Village, NYC location and via telehealth throughout New York State. She also offers Walk and Talk Therapy and In-Home Sessions in select areas across New York City for those who prefer a less traditional setting.