Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Children, Teens, and Adults
Practical tools for changing the patterns that keep you stuck.
Evidence-based therapy for anxiety, depression, panic, OCD, stress, and low self-esteem.
At SageMind Psychology, we help children, teens, and adults understand the thoughts and habits that keep them stuck and build skills that make everyday life feel more manageable.
Whether your child is overwhelmed by worry, your teen is stuck in self-criticism, or you're an adult dealing with stress, low mood, or avoidance, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help.
Available in person in Brooklyn Heights and virtually in New York and 40+ additional states.
What Is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
CBT is a structured, evidence-based therapy built on a simple idea: our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are connected. When we change how we interpret and respond to difficult situations, how we feel can change too.
In CBT, you and your therapist work together to understand the patterns getting in your way. You learn to notice unhelpful thoughts, test them against the evidence, and respond in ways that support your goals. Along the way, you build skills for managing emotions, solving problems, and coping with stress.
The goal isn't to think positively all the time. It's to see situations more clearly and respond in ways that work for you.
How Do I Know If CBT Might Help?
Sometimes it looks like worry. Other times it looks like avoidance, exhaustion, or a voice that's never satisfied.
Many people reach out because something feels off, not because they have a diagnosis in mind. CBT may help if you or your child:
Worry constantly or can't shut off anxious thoughts
Feel down, unmotivated, or stuck in negative thinking
Avoid situations, conversations, or tasks because they feel overwhelming
Experience panic attacks or fear the physical feelings of anxiety
Are hard on yourself or feel like nothing is ever good enough
Procrastinate or freeze when things feel uncertain
Melt down, shut down, or get angry when stressed
Feel overwhelmed by school, work, relationships, or major life changes
Struggle with intrusive thoughts or habits that are hard to stop
You don't need to know the diagnosis before reaching out. Helping you understand what's happening is part of our job.
What Can CBT Help With?
CBT is one of the most widely researched forms of therapy. At SageMind Psychology, we use CBT and related approaches for concerns including:
Anxiety and worry: generalized anxiety, social anxiety, separation anxiety, and health anxiety.
Depression: low mood, loss of motivation, and pulling away from people or activities.
Panic attacks: understanding what's happening in the body so the sensations feel less frightening.
OCD and phobias: CBT that includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) to face fears step by step.
Stress and burnout: managing pressure at school, work, or home.
Low self-esteem and perfectionism: loosening harsh self-criticism and fear of mistakes.
School avoidance: support for kids and teens who are struggling to get to school.
ADHD and executive functioning: building routines, planning, and follow-through.
Life transitions: adjusting to changes in school, work, relationships, or family.
CBT often works alongside other approaches. For big emotions and overwhelm, we offer DBT skills groups, and for trauma, EMDR therapy.
CBT for Every Age and Stage of Life
What helps a 6-year-old looks different from what helps a 16- or 46-year-old.
We tailor CBT to each stage of development.
Young children: CBT is playful and hands-on, using games, stories, and activities to teach coping skills. Parents learn simple strategies to support those skills at home. Learn more about our Children's Center.
School-aged children: Kids learn to notice worried or upset thoughts, name their feelings, and practice coping and problem-solving. Parent coaching helps families respond to worry, meltdowns, and avoidance. When anxiety affects school attendance, our School Refusal Program can offer more support.
Teens: CBT helps teens manage anxiety, low mood, perfectionism, and stress from school and friendships. Teens help set their own goals, and we balance their independence with family involvement. For teens who need more support than weekly therapy, our Intensive Outpatient DBT Program combines individual therapy and skills groups.
College students and young adults: CBT supports young adults through academic pressure, social anxiety, low mood, and new independence. For those whose stress comes with intense emotions, our adult DBT program teaches skills for managing hard moments.
Adults: CBT helps adults work through anxiety, depression, burnout, relationship stress, and life transitions so they can focus on what matters to them. For adults who are looking for a higher level of care, we offer an Adult Intensive Outpatient Program.
How Does CBT Work?
Step 1: Understand the Pattern
Your therapist helps you identify the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connected to what you're struggling with, and how they keep each other going.
Step 2: Set Goals Together
You and your therapist decide what you want to change and what progress will look like.
Step 3: Learn New Skills
Sessions focus on practical tools, such as challenging unhelpful thoughts, problem-solving, gradually facing avoided situations, and managing stress. For younger children, skills are taught through play and activities.
Step 4: Practice in Daily Life
Between sessions, you try new skills at home, at school, at work, and in relationships, then review what worked with your therapist.
Step 5: Build Lasting Change
As skills become habits, you rely less on your therapist and feel more confident handling challenges on your own.
CBT gives you tools you can keep using long after therapy ends.
What Makes CBT at SageMind Psychology Different?
Evidence-based treatment that fits your life.
Collaborative: You and your therapist set goals and decide on the focus of treatment together.
Practical: You leave sessions with skills to try right away, not just insights.
Developmentally tailored: Treatment is adapted to each person's age, abilities, and goals, from play-based work with young children to skills-focused sessions for adults.
Family-inclusive: Parents and caregivers learn how to support progress at home when it helps.
Integrated when appropriate: Clinicians may add ERP, DBT skills, parent coaching, or mindfulness when helpful.
Team-based: Our clinicians receive ongoing supervision and consult on cases, so you benefit from the experience of the whole team. We are LGBTQIA+ affirming and neurodiversity-informed.
How Are Parents Involved in CBT for Kids and Teens?
For younger children, parents are often a central part of treatment. Parent coaching gives you tools for responding to worry and big emotions, reducing reassurance cycles, and reinforcing new skills at home.
For teens, family involvement is balanced with their growing independence. Your clinician will talk with you about what level of involvement fits your teen's needs.
CBT in Brooklyn Heights and Online
SageMind Psychology offers in-person CBT at our Brooklyn Heights office and virtual CBT in New York, New Jersey and 40+ additional states.
SageMind Psychology is an out-of-network practice. Many clients use out-of-network benefits, and we provide superbills to help you seek reimbursement. Learn about rates and insurance.