At your first session, your therapist gathers information about you and asks what concerns you’d like to work on. The therapist asks you about your current and past physical and emotional health to get a deeper understanding of your situation. Your therapist may talk with you about whether you might benefit from other treatment as well, such as medicines. The coping skills you learn can help you manage and conquer negative feelings and fears. Learn constructive coping mechanisms including stress management, problem-solving, and emotional regulation to navigate triggers without turning to substances. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a proven approach that helps you identify and change negative thought patterns that contribute to addiction, equipping you with skills for lasting recovery.
You and your therapist work together to identify goals, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy test strategies, and practice skills. If you have a paid Psychology Tools membership, you are licensed to share resources with clients in the course of your professional work. You can even email resources—such as large audio files—securely and directly from our website. This helps streamline your workflow and encourages clients to practice newly learned strategies between sessions.
For example, a friend may cross you in the hallway and not say hello to you. On the other hand, if you had the automatic thought, “he is in a hurry,” you would not be too concerned, and you would not be avoidant when you were to see him next. The type of therapy that works best for you will depend on several factors. Consider visiting our guide on different types of therapy to explore which one may best suit your needs.
In 2026, most people can expect private Cognitive Behavioral Therapy sessions to cost between $150 and $400 per session in the United States. This range reflects experienced, licensed therapists providing structured CBT in a private practice setting. MINERVA NEUROSCIENCES INC focuses on developing novel therapies for psychiatric and neurological disorders, with an emphasis on optimizing outcomes for patients suffering from insomnia. Their cutting-edge research aims to establish new standards of care in the CBT-I domain. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is like learning how to become a skilled gardener of your own mind.