Trusted by Families, Schools, and Clinicians Across New Jersey
About Ira Hays, LCSW
Ira Hays is a licensed clinical social worker and the founder of Hays Health & Wellness. His work focuses on helping children, teens, and adults overcome anxiety disorders, OCD, Emetophobia, school refusal, school phobia and school avoidance using evidence-based approaches such as Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and family-centered support.
Based in Colts Neck, New Jersey, Ira provides therapy in person and virtually throughout the state while also consulting with schools and professionals on the growing intersection between mental health and education throughout the country.
Therapist, educator, and author dedicated to helping children, families, and schools overcome anxiety, OCD, and school attendance challenges.
Why This Work Matters
Over the years, Ira has worked with many families who felt stuck watching anxiety slowly shrink their child’s world. What may begin as a small worry can gradually grow into avoidance of school, social situations, or everyday experiences that are important for development.
Through his work with families, educators, and treatment teams, Ira has become deeply committed to helping people understand the patterns that maintain anxiety and avoidance—and how the right strategies can help individuals move forward again.
His approach emphasizes practical tools, gradual progress, and a focus on building confidence through action.
As Ira often reminds families:
Small hard things build confidence.
Trained 70+ school districts on school avoidance and school phobia
Consulted with educators and clinical teams statewide
Helping hundreds of therapists, interns, and students learn effective treatment
Trusted by:
Professional Background
Ira Hays, LCSW specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and school attendance challenges. His work integrates evidence-based approaches including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and parent coaching strategies that help families support progress outside of therapy sessions.
In addition to clinical work with individuals and families, Ira regularly collaborates with schools and educators to address the growing intersection between mental health and academic success. His consultation and training work helps school teams better understand anxiety, OCD, ADHD, and school avoidance so that students can receive support that strengthens both emotional well-being and educational engagement.
Areas of Focus
Anxiety disorders in children, teens, and adults
Parent coaching and family support
School avoidance, school refusal, and school phobia
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Emetophobia and related anxiety conditions
School consultation and professional training
Beyond the Clinical Practice
In addition to his work with clients at Hays Health & Wellness, Ira Hays serves as the Clinical Director of Innerspace Counseling, where he helps guide clinical programming and treatment approaches for anxiety, OCD, and school attendance challenges at the partial care and intensive outpatient level of care. He is also a Clinical Advisor for Bia, a digital mental health platform designed to support individuals struggling with emetophobia and school attendance through evidence-based exposure-based interventions.
Ira is the author of numerous articles on anxiety, OCD, and school attendance, and his upcoming book, Solving the School Attendance Crisis, explores practical strategies for families, clinicians, and schools navigating the growing intersection between mental health and education.
Ira has also served as adjunct professor at Monmouth University, sharing practical insights with graduate students preparing for careers in counseling and social work. His teaching focuses on bridging evidence-based clinical practice with real-world challenges in schools and mental health settings.
Outside of his professional work, Ira is also the parent of two student athletes, an experience that continues to shape his perspective on resilience, performance pressure, and helping young people develop confidence both in and outside of the classroom. He has coached multiple sports including soccer, baseball and a school-based mountain bike team.
Philosophy of Care
Ira’s approach to therapy is grounded in a simple idea:
Many mental health challenges are maintained by patterns of avoidance, reassurance seeking, or misunderstood stress responses. Through careful assessment and evidence-based treatment, therapy focuses on helping individuals understand these patterns and begin responding differently.
Ira’s work also integrates the principles of growth mindset and the stress-is-enhancing mindset, helping clients learn that challenges and discomfort can be part of healthy growth rather than signals to withdraw. The goal is not simply to reduce anxiety in the short term, but to help individuals build the resilience and confidence needed for long-term well-being.