What CBT Is
NIMH describes it as a type of talk therapy that helps people recognize harmful or untrue ways of thinking so they can more clearly view and respond to challenging situations.1 The fuller version: it helps you become aware of automatic ways of thinking that are inaccurate or harmful, question those thoughts, understand how they affect your emotions and behavior, and change self-defeating patterns.2 At Sol it runs across three levels of care in Riverside, in individual sessions and in groups.
Every therapist at Sol is trained in CBT, and CBT groups are a steady part of the program rather than an optional extra.
What a Session Actually Looks Like
CBT is more structured than most talk therapy, and knowing the shape of it in advance helps.
A session typically opens with a brief update and a check on mood, then bridges from the previous session so there is continuity.3 From there it works through an agenda set at the start rather than wherever the conversation drifts.
The pattern across a course of it includes setting the agenda, the mood check, the bridge from last session, working the agenda, questioning that draws out your own reasoning rather than handing you conclusions, short summaries along the way, homework between sessions, and feedback on the session itself.4
Between sessions there is usually a little practice, and it is where much of the learning happens. Often it is writing down thoughts, feelings or specific situations over a period of time.5 Nobody grades it. It simply helps you notice a pattern while it is fresh.
What CBT Is Used For
What each source says about where CBT can help.
| Used for | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Depression | NIMH names CBT and interpersonal therapy as evidence-based therapies to treat depression, and notes psychotherapy is often tried first for milder depression6 |
| Anxiety | NIMH describes exposure therapy, a type of CBT, for anxiety disorders. The Office on Women’s Health puts it as CBT helping you change the thinking patterns around your fears27 |
| OCD | NIMH states exposure and response prevention, a specific type of CBT, effectively reduces compulsive behaviors even for people who do not respond well to medication1 |
| Substance use | NIAAA describes CBT as identifying and managing the thoughts, feelings, situations, behaviors and triggers that lead to heavy drinking8 |
| Insomnia | The VA and Department of Defense call CBT for insomnia the gold standard for insomnia care9 |
| Bipolar disorder | NIMH frames psychotherapy as effective for bipolar disorder when used with medications, and names CBT adapted for insomnia as helpful for bipolar depression10 |
One important gap. Sol’s therapists are trained in CBT and run CBT groups, but Sol does not have specialists in exposure and response prevention, the protocol NIMH names for OCD. If ERP is what you need, our admissions team will let you know and help you think about next steps.
How Well It Works, in the Sources’ Own Words
CBT is one of the most common and best studied forms of psychotherapy.5
NIMH goes further in one specific place, saying CBT has been well studied and is considered the “gold standard” of psychotherapy for many people.1 NIMH puts gold standard in quotation marks itself, attaches “for many people,” and says it in a discussion of OCD, so we share it with those words intact.
Where it is genuinely the strongest available option is insomnia. The VA and Department of Defense state that CBT for insomnia is the gold standard for insomnia care and that studies show these are the best treatments for people who have chronic insomnia.9 That claim is specific to insomnia and it does not transfer to CBT in general.
NIAAA also notes that the evidence-backed behavioral approaches for alcohol use disorder are about equally effective, and that behavioral healthcare and medication have been shown to be about equally effective.8 CBT is one good option among several.
For trauma specifically, the VA and Department of Defense guideline’s strongest rating goes to cognitive processing therapy, EMDR and prolonged exposure as individual manualized protocols.11 Sol delivers EMDR and does not offer the other two.
How Long It Takes
There is no single agreed number. Sources give approximately 60-minute sessions weekly for 8 to 12 weeks,3 12 to 20 weeks meeting once per week or a shorter six to eight sessions,4 four to ten weekly sessions for the insomnia version,9 and about three months for the trauma protocols.12
In general, a course of CBT commonly runs somewhere between roughly 8 and 20 weekly sessions of about an hour, depending on what is being treated. Some people already feel much better after a few sessions, while others need treatment for several months.5
In a program the rhythm is different, because you are not getting one hour a week. You are in groups several times a week alongside individual sessions, which gives you more chances to practice what you are learning.
CBT in a Group
CBT works in group settings as well as individually. It is sometimes offered as group therapy,5 and SAMHSA notes these techniques can be conducted successfully in individual, group and family settings.4
What the group adds is other people who recognize the pattern you are describing before you finish describing it, and a room to test a new response in. What individual sessions add is your own material, in detail, without an audience. The program uses both.
One limit worth knowing. For PTSD specifically, the VA and Department of Defense guideline is neither for nor against manualized group therapy, and the VA notes one study found individual cognitive processing therapy more effective than the group version.1112 So group CBT is a legitimate format, and for trauma the research does not show that it matches individual therapy.
Anything Specific to Women
The Office on Women’s Health states that a type of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy helps women with depression.7
The context around it: the Office on Women’s Health reports women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, and that anxiety disorders are more than twice as common in women as in men.713
These figures are about who develops these conditions, not about who responds to treatment, and the research does not show that CBT works differently in women than in men.
Read about depression, anxiety or the full set of therapies.
Starting Treatment
1
Call or Send Your Insurance Details
Admissions answers 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
2
Assessment
A clinician works out what is being treated and how CBT fits into the plan.
3
Verify Your Insurance
We contact your plan and walk you through your benefits.
4
Start Date
Set around what your week can hold.
If you have tried CBT before and it did not help, let us know what it looked like. CBT can be delivered in very different ways, and knowing your experience helps us shape what comes next.
In crisis right now? Call or text 988.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our admissions line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (951) 972-5085.
What Is CBT?
NIMH describes it as a type of talk therapy that helps people recognize harmful or untrue ways of thinking so they can more clearly view and respond to challenging situations. It works on the relationship between what you think, how you feel and what you do, and it is more structured than most talk therapy.
Is CBT Proven to Work?
Research does not use the word proven, but CBT is one of the most common and best studied forms of psychotherapy. NIMH calls it the “gold standard” of psychotherapy for many people, in quotation marks and with that qualifier, and NIAAA states the behavioral approaches for alcohol use disorder are about equally effective.
What Does CBT Treat?
Depression, anxiety disorders, OCD through its exposure and response prevention form, substance use, and insomnia, each with its own source. For bipolar disorder NIMH frames psychotherapy as effective when used with medications rather than alone.
How Many CBT Sessions Will I Need?
There is no single authoritative figure. Sources give 8 to 12 weeks, 12 to 20 weeks, six to eight sessions, and four to ten for the insomnia version, depending on what is being treated. Roughly 8 to 20 weekly hour-long sessions is a typical range, and in a program the pace is different because you are in groups several times a week.
Is There Homework?
Yes, usually a little practice between sessions, and it is where much of the learning happens. Often it is writing down thoughts, feelings or specific situations over a period of time. Nobody grades it.
Is CBT the Best Treatment for PTSD?
The VA and Department of Defense guideline gives its strongest rating for PTSD to cognitive processing therapy, EMDR and prolonged exposure as individual manualized protocols. Sol delivers EMDR and does not offer the other two.
Does CBT Work as Well in a Group?
For most purposes group CBT is a legitimate format and SAMHSA notes these techniques work in group settings. For PTSD specifically the VA and Department of Defense guideline is neither for nor against manualized group therapy, and one study found individual cognitive processing therapy more effective than the group version, so for trauma the research does not show that the two are equivalent.
Who Delivers CBT at Sol?
All of Sol’s therapists are trained in CBT, and CBT groups run as part of the program.
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Sources13
- 1.National Institute of Mental Health. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: When Unwanted Thoughts or Repetitive Behaviors Take Over. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-when-unwanted-thoughts-take-over
- 2.National Institute of Mental Health. Psychotherapies. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/psychotherapies
- 3.Chand SP, Kuckel DP, Huecker MR. Cognitive Behavior Therapy. StatPearls Publishing, updated May 23, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470241/
- 4.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Brief Interventions and Brief Therapies for Substance Abuse, TIP 34, Chapter 4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64948/
- 5.Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG). In brief: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), InformedHealth.org, August 21, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279297/
- 6.National Institute of Mental Health. Depression. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression
- 7.Office on Women’s Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Depression. https://womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/depression
- 8.National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Recommend Evidence-Based Treatment: Know the Options, revised May 8, 2025. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-professionals-communities/core-resource-on-alcohol/recommend-evidence-based-treatment-know-options
- 9.US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. Behaviorally-based Treatments for Insomnia: A Provider’s Guide, 2025. https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/CD/insomnia/CST-01-Treatment-of-Insomnia-Provider-Patient-Guide-Final-508.pdf
- 10.National Institute of Mental Health. Bipolar Disorder. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder
- 11.US Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense. Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Acute Stress Disorder, 2023. https://www.healthquality.va.gov/guidelines/MH/ptsd/
- 12.US Department of Veterans Affairs, National Center for PTSD. Overview of Psychotherapy for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treat/txessentials/overview_therapy.asp
- 13.Office on Women’s Health, US Department of Health and Human Services. Anxiety disorders. https://womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/anxiety-disorders
Medical Disclaimer
This page is educational and is not medical advice. Whether CBT suits any individual, and in what form, is a clinical judgment made at assessment. Sol Women’s Treatment is certified by the California Department of Health Care Services for outpatient and intensive outpatient services, certification 330246AP, and licensed by the California Department of Social Services, facility 331881576, and does not provide detox, inpatient or residential care. Sol does not offer cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, or specialist exposure and response prevention. No two women respond identically and nothing here promises a result. In a medical emergency call 911. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.