The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies maintains a therapist directory that includes CBT therapy groups. CBT therapy groups are among the most researched approaches in group therapy. A CBT therapy group is a therapist-led group that teaches cognitive behavioral skills, identifying thought patterns, challenging distortions, and changing behaviors, in a structured, classroom-style or process format. If you have been in individual CBT and want to continue building those skills with a group, or if you are starting out and a group is more accessible, this is what you need to know.
When CBT group therapy makes sense, and who it helps most
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most researched approaches in mental health. What gets less attention is that most of that research includes group formats, and the outcomes are comparable to individual CBT for a range of concerns (Burlingame et al., 2016).
CBT therapy groups tend to work well for folks dealing with anxiety, depression, OCD, health anxiety, chronic pain, and stress-related conditions. The thing about CBT in a group is that you are not just learning skills; you are watching other people apply them, struggle with them, and get better at them over time. That modeling effect is something individual therapy cannot replicate.
Groups also create what researchers call normalization. Hearing someone else say “I do that exact thought pattern too” reduces shame in a way that a therapist saying it just does not. I have seen this happen again and again in practice, the moment when someone realizes their brain is not uniquely broken, it shifts something.
What does the research say about group CBT?
Group CBT has a strong evidence base across several conditions. For depression, meta-analyses have found group CBT to be as effective as individual CBT, with effect sizes in the moderate-to-large range (McDermut et al., 2001). For social anxiety disorder specifically, group CBT is often the preferred modality, the group setting creates built-in exposure opportunities that individual therapy has to work harder to replicate (Heimberg and Becker, 2002).
The honest caveat: group therapy requires you to be present in a way that individual therapy does not. If your symptoms are severe enough that being around others feels impossible right now, individual work might be the right first step. But for most people in the moderate range, the group format does not reduce effectiveness, and for many, it adds something individual therapy cannot.
What happens in a CBT therapy group session?
Structure varies, but most CBT groups follow a recognizable shape. A session usually runs 60 to 90 minutes. There is a brief check-in, a review of between-session practice, a skills component where the facilitator introduces or deepens a concept, and application time where members work with the skill, sometimes in pairs, sometimes as a full group.
In practice, the skills component might look like this: the facilitator introduces cognitive restructuring, walks through an example thought record, and members share their own examples. The group gives feedback. Someone points out a cognitive distortion they recognize from their own week. That kind of live application is what makes CBT groups efficient; you learn from other people’s examples as much as your own.
Some CBT groups run as closed cohorts: same people, start to finish, typically 8 to 16 weeks. Others are open-rolling, where members can join at any point. Closed groups tend to build stronger cohesion; open groups offer faster access. Neither is inherently better.
How is group CBT different from individual CBT?
Unlike individual therapy, group CBT gives you peers. That is not a downgrade; it is a different mechanism of change. In individual CBT, the relationship between you and your therapist is the vehicle. In group CBT, the relationships among members, plus the structured skills work, plus the therapist’s facilitation, all combine. Some people find the peer element more powerful than one-on-one work.
What I would push on, for people who are skeptical: some of the most useful feedback I have seen clients get came from another group member, not the facilitator. Peers cut through things differently. If you are weighing group versus individual, our guide on choosing between group therapy and individual therapy can help you think it through.
How to find a CBT therapy group in the directory
Most CBT groups are listed by their primary focus, anxiety, depression, OCD, insomnia, rather than by the modality name. So when you are searching, try both. You can search CBT groups in The Group Guide directory, or start with:
- Anxiety support groups: many run CBT or CBT-adjacent formats
- Depression support groups: includes CBT-based groups for persistent low mood
- DBT skills groups: if CBT is the foundation, DBT adds the next layer of skill-building for emotion regulation
How to choose a CBT therapy group
A few things worth checking before you commit. First, is the facilitator licensed? CBT is a specific approach that requires training to deliver competently. A good CBT group facilitator will tell you which protocol they are using, Beck’s cognitive therapy, CBGT for social anxiety, the Unified Protocol, whatever it is. Vague answers here are a flag.
Second, is the group focused on the concern you are bringing? A general anxiety group and a panic disorder group are not the same thing. Third, ask about size, CBT groups typically run well with six to twelve members. Our guide on how to vet a group before you join has a full checklist worth reading first.
Other resources
The American Psychological Association’s CBT overview is a solid starting point. NAMI has resources on CBT and group-based care at nami.org. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
Frequently asked questions about CBT therapy groups
Is group CBT as effective as individual CBT?
For most conditions, yes. Research consistently shows group CBT produces outcomes comparable to individual CBT for anxiety, depression, and OCD. For social anxiety disorder specifically, group CBT is often the preferred format because the group setting itself becomes part of the exposure work.
How long does CBT group therapy usually last?
Most structured CBT groups run 8 to 16 weeks, with one 60- to 90-minute session per week. Some evidence-based protocols are shorter, panic disorder CBT groups can run as few as 6 sessions.
Do I have to share personal things in a CBT group?
You share as much as you choose to. CBT groups are skills-focused, which means you can engage fully with thought records, behavioral experiments, and skill practice without disclosing your full history. Over time, most group members find that sharing gets easier.
What is the difference between a CBT group and a support group?
A CBT therapy group is clinician-led and structured around teaching and practicing specific cognitive and behavioral skills. A support group is typically peer-led and focused on shared experience and mutual support, without a formal skill-building curriculum. If you want skills plus peer connection, a CBT group gives you the structure that a peer support group does not.
Can CBT group therapy work online?
Yes. Research found that online group CBT produces outcomes similar to in-person group CBT for most conditions. The skills transfer, the peer interaction works through video, and for folks with limited local options, online groups meaningfully increase access.
The Group Guide is a directory. Group leaders write their own listings, and we do not vet, supervise, or endorse the groups listed here. We are not a clinic and we do not provide clinical services or guarantee outcomes. That is the group’s work, not ours. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
References
Burlingame, G. M., Strauss, B., and Joyce, A. S. (2016). Change mechanisms and effectiveness of small group treatments. In Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change (6th ed., pp. 640-689). Wiley.
Heimberg, R. G., and Becker, R. E. (2002). Cognitive-behavioral group therapy for social phobia. Guilford Press.
McDermut, W., Miller, I. W., and Brown, R. A. (2001). The efficacy of group psychotherapy for depression. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 8(1), 98-116.
CBT therapy groups are available for depression, anxiety, OCD, chronic pain, and many other conditions. Whether you choose in-person or online, CBT therapy groups provide structured skill-building in a peer setting that many people find more affordable and accessible than individual therapy.
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