OtterWell Mental Health LLC
Founded by Dr. Stephanie Schaefer, OtterWell Mental Health LLC was created with the belief that it is vital for humans to balance work with play. The name OtterWell pays tribute to river otters, who must work hard to eat enough food to sustain their high metabolisms and who also always find ways to play and have fun despite their busy days hunting and foraging. River otters also spend their lives both in water and on land, demonstrating their extremely adaptable natures.
At OtterWell Mental Health LLC, we strive to help our clients achieve greater balance between work and play, learn to adapt to shifting environments, and find moments of joy daily.
We do this by carefully crafting therapy interventions for motivated adults who want to maximize their wellbeing, overcome life’s challenges using a personalized tool kit, and live their best possible lives.
Stephanie Schaefer, Psy.D. (she/her)
As a licensed psychologist in Oregon, Dr. Schaefer enjoys supporting clients as they engage in the challenging work of discovering how to dismantle the barriers between them and the life they want to lead. She utilizes Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) frameworks, informed by individual client needs, positive psychology and humanistic therapy techniques, and clinical judgment, to co-create a treatment plan that achieves clients’ goals in therapy.
Dr. Schaefer graduated from Pacific University’s School of Graduate Psychology with a master’s in Counseling Psychology (2006) and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) in 2011, and has been licensed as a psychologist since 2013. She has extensive experience with the unique needs of college students as well as with assisting executives and professionals with improving their wellbeing. Dr. Schaefer co-authored a second edition of a 2-volume series of books about DBT with her colleague Dr. Cathy Moonshine. In 2025, Dr. Schaefer was honored to join the Board of Directors for Kaleidoscope Community Psychotherapy. As an LGBT+ Ally, she strives to make her practice an inclusive and welcoming space and encourage increased allyship in her community.
In her free time, Dr. Schaefer enjoys crafting, traveling, spending time with her partner, their dog, their three cats, and their family and friends. Dr. Schaefer was born in Oregon and enjoys the varied natural landscapes and cultural events the state has to offer.
