Services

Individual psychotherapy is a great way to focus on achieving your goals.

It’s the treatment modality used in most studies of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The majority of patients treated in individual CBT have been found to experience measurable decreases in symptoms and improvement in quality of life.

Most of our patients are seen in individual therapy once a week for 45-minute sessions. As symptoms improve, it is sometimes possible to reduce the frequency of sessions. When someone is in crises or having difficulty functioning in daily life, more frequent sessions may be recommended.

TELETHERAPY SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQIA+ TEENS

The Queers and Peers Support Group is a semi-open ongoing teletherapy interpersonal process group designed to help teens (ages 14 to 17) who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community who are experiencing stress, anxiety and/or problems with low mood. The goal of this group is to provide a safe and comfortable place for teens to receive support from other members of their community, discuss self and community advocacy, process the impact of prejudice, and improve interpersonal communication. This group will take place between 5:00 and 6:00 pm on Thursday evenings and will start on April 28^th, 2022.

This group will help:

• Give and receive support from other teens in the LGBTQIA+ community
• Improve their ability to give and receive feedback from others
• Improve their ability to cope with life stressors
• Process the impact of prejudice
• Improve interpersonal communication and social problem solving
• Strengthen their relationships with others
• Discuss how our cultural identities impact our interactions with others

Interpersonal process groups are less structured than traditional groups and more akin to support groups. Process groups encourage its members to not only share their experiences and give support to each other, but also give and receive real time feedback about their experiences during the group. This allows group members to use the group to practice new ways of interacting with others. Although there is no formal agenda for the group, topics likely to be discussed in group include mindfulness, interpersonal functioning, coping with stress, how our cultural identities impact our interactions with others, coping with prejudice, and self-advocacy.

This group is group open to teens of all gender identities, aged 14 to 17 who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. Individuals with and without prior therapy experience are welcome. Teens currently engaged in individual therapy are also welcome to join.

The group is led by Dr. Patrick Love.  For more information, contact Dr. Love at 202-234-0903 ext 28 or plove@cognitivetherapydc.com.  For a brochure click here.

 

EMOTIONAL REGULATION/DBT SKILLS GROUP 

The Regulating Emotion, Distress, and Interpersonal Relationships (REDI) Program is a skills-based, didactic teletherapy group designed to help those whose wellbeing and relationships may be suffering as a result of difficulties managing their emotions and behaviors. The goal of this group is to help individuals in their journey to improve control over their emotions and mind, gain agency in their world, and lead a life worth living.

In this group you will learn how to:

• Regulate emotions
• Tolerate distress and crisis situations
• Improve interpersonal communication
• Practice mindfulness
• Effectively live a life worth living

The material covered in the REDI Program is based on an effective, research-based therapy called Dialectical Behavior Therapy* (DBT). This group will cover skills from a variety of domains, including mindfulness, tolerating distress, regulating emotions, and effectively navigating interpersonal relationships. Individuals both with or without prior DBT experience are welcome. Interested parties who are already working with an individual therapist may attend The REDI Program as an adjunct to their ongoing therapy.

The current session of the REDI group is full.  We expect to offer another session beginning in September.  Click here for the group brochure.

 

 

To get more information or request to join the REDI group, please please call 202-234-0903 ext 15 or fill out this form:  

Making a marriage or long-term relationship work can be challenging. Couples therapy with a spouse or partner has been shown in research studies to improve relationship satisfaction and decrease the likelihood of divorce for many people.

In couples treatment you can learn more effective skills for identifying and resolving sources of stress and conflict. You can also learn ways to increase feelings of closeness and attraction and improve your sexual relationship. Couples therapy may also be an opportunity learn how to accept and live with differences within the context of a happy relationship.

Most insurance plans will not cover treatment that is solely focused on improving a marriage or relationship. However, plans typically will cover couples therapy where one or both members of the couple are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety or another covered condition and the couple’s treatment is aimed at improving those symptoms and/or helping the couple cope with the symptoms.  We recommend that you talk to your therapist about whether you might qualify for insurance coverage at the beginning of treatment.

Deliberate planned exposure to situations that trigger fear has been consistently found in research studies to be one of the most effective treatments for anxiety. When this form of treatment is recommended, we work with you to create a gradual program of exposure exercises that feels comfortable and achievable.

Often exposure can be done in the therapist’s office with recommendations for exercises you can do on your own between sessions.  However, sometimes exposure exercises are best done outside of the office in real life situations.  This is called in-vivo exposure.  Since these situations can be challenging to face on your own at first, it may be helpful to have your therapist accompany you.  When this is the case, your therapist may recommend scheduling one or more sessions outside of the office so that he or she can help you more effectively face and overcome your fears.

Depending on the situation, therapist-assisted exposure sessions may take longer than the typical 45-minute session. Insurance may not reimburse you for the full time required. Most patients need only a few sessions of therapist-assisted exposure before they are ready to continue on their own. We recommend checking with your insurance company before beginning any sessions longer than 45 minutes to see what the insurer will cover and whether pre-approval is required.

Severe anxiety or depression can make it hard to function in daily life. Some people’s symptoms are so debilitating that meeting once or twice per week is not enough. In addition, there are some situations where it is important to make more rapid progress than could ordinarily be achieved with weekly sessions.

We offer short-term intensive treatment for anxiety disorders and depression using a team approach. Sessions can be scheduled up to five days per week. You will be assigned a primary therapist who will work with you to custom-design a treatment program. Often a second member of our clinical staff will assist in the treatment. Intensive treatment typically lasts for two to four weeks, but may be extended as necessary. We generally recommend less frequent sessions for follow-up care after the intensive treatment has ended.

Most insurance companies require pre-approval for intensive treatment and may not cover all sessions. You should discuss insurance coverage with your therapist as part of the treatment planning process.