In contrast to what you often see on TV, CBT is a very active and collaborative dialogue between you and your therapist. In the past few decades, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has evolved to include a wide range of evidence-backed treatments. At their core, these therapies focus on the relationship between thoughts, emotions and action, and how these interact with the world we live in. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) are two such approaches that form the backbone of our interventions. Research has shown that the tenets of CBT help decrease suffering and lead to a richer and more meaningful life.

ACT asks you to examine your core values and gain insight into whether your actions reflect these values. We’ll strengthen your ability to stay focused on the present moment and become more accepting of your thoughts and emotions. These skills will help you increase your “towards moves,” actions that help you overcome obstacles and achieve short- and long-term goals.

DBT also has mindful awareness at its core, and it teaches you common “dialectics” that are part of the human experience. Some dialectics that we often see are “Life is painful. Life is magical.” “I need to accept myself and I need to try harder.” Or a bit less heady: “I love my partner, I hate my partner!” This dialectical mindset is coupled with essential life skills in navigating relationships, managing strong emotions, finding a “middle path” during times of conflict, and pacing your actions when you’re under intense stress.

Throughout all of this, we will help you toggle between making helpful changes in your life (learning new skills, practicing new behaviors) while also validating and accepting where you are in your life right now.

Ok, but what does that actually look like? Here are some things you might be doing in sessions with us:

• Learning and practicing a mindfulness exercise with your therapist
• Investigating, step-by-step, the thoughts, feelings and actions that landed you in a “hot spot”
• Doing a values assessment through conversation or written exercises
• Identifying common narratives that get you stuck, and learning how to “unhook” from those narratives
• Trying new behaviors in session with your therapist’s support
• Creating concrete ways to commit to new behaviors and skills practice between sessions

Most treatment is short-term in nature, typically ranging from 3-12 months depending on your needs. Through CBT, our goal is to provide you with tools to lead a healthy and meaningful life free of the distress that prompted treatment. In the initial sessions, we will get to know your treatment goals and can provide you with a more specific time frame for how many sessions you will need. We also assess progress throughout treatment to make sure we are on track with our initial targeted timeline.

Drs. Groves and Trosper Olivo are not expert in the evaluation and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder, nor do they provide neuropsychological testing. If a client has an acute substance abuse problem or eating disorder, we will likely refer you to a colleague or program; however, we often work with individuals who have participated in such treatment and are actively working to maintain behavioral change. And though we both have been intensively trained in DBT, we do not provide standard outpatient DBT which consists of individual and group therapy, a consultation team for therapists, and between-sessions skills coaching.

If you’ve explored this website and believe our expertise and approach is a good fit for you, email either Dr. Groves or Dr. Trosper Olivo to have a brief consultation to answer any preliminary questions you may have. We’re happy to speak to you and provide information that will help you decide on your next step. You do not need to have a specific diagnosis or know your treatment goals before calling. Treatment will begin with an intake session – typically 1.5 hours long – in order to have a more detailed discussion about what prompted you to call us and how we may be able to help.

We will work with you to set up a payment schedule that is sustainable; typically clients pay for each session at the time of service. Our fees vary based on location so please call one of us for further information.

We serve as out-of-network providers. This means that we do not process insurance claims directly, but instead can provide billing statements with all the information you’ll need to get reimbursement if it is provided by your insurance company. As an initial step you can call your insurance provider to inquire about their reimbursement rate for out-of-network therapy conducted by a licensed psychologist.

As psychologists, we do not prescribe medication, and CBT has been found to be effective for a number of mental health concerns without additional medication. However, our clients often want or need medication management, and we regularly collaborate with prescribing doctors. We can also provide recommendations for psychiatrists who can offer medication consultation.