Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Groups for GAD

A CBT group for Generalized Anxiety Disorder is a structured, time-limited group led by a licensed therapist that targets the thinking and behavior that keep chronic worry alive. It teaches you to treat worry as a pattern you can work with differently: challenging worry-maintaining beliefs, tolerating uncertainty, reducing avoidance, and easing the physical side of anxiety.

Who it's for, and who it's not

Best if you're ready for weekly homework and can commit to the full cohort from the start.

If anxiety is mainly trauma-driven, trauma-focused treatment usually comes first.

Not for acute crisis. Very high social anxiety may need individual prep first. In crisis? Call or text 988.

What it's for

Designed for GAD: chronic, pervasive worry across many areas that's hard to control.

Also for subthreshold worry and worry-driven health anxiety.

Helpful when worry is the main driver of distress in chronic illness or life transition.

What to expect

1Sessions run about 90 minutes on a structured, week-by-week curriculum.

2Early sessions teach the nature of worry; later ones add restructuring and exposure.

3Consistent homework: worry logs, behavioral experiments, and relaxation practice.

CBT for GAD is one of the most robustly evidenced psychological treatments available.

A 2025 network meta-analysis of 52 trials found group CBT significantly more effective than waitlist, with effects comparable to individual CBT on most outcomes.¹

A 2014 meta-analysis of 41 studies found CBT produced large effects on anxiety and worry, maintained at follow-up.²

Making the most of it

Do the worry records. That's where the shift happens.

Test your predictions. Worry shrinks when you check it against reality.

Give it a few sessions. Skills feel clumsy before they feel natural.

Questions to ask before you join

1Who leads the group, and what is their CBT training?

2How many sessions, and is it a closed cohort?

3What does it cost? Is there a sliding scale or no-cost option?

Ready to find a group?

Browse 2,000+ therapy and support groups in all 50 states.

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In crisis? Call or text 988 (US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).

The Group Guide is a directory, not a clinic. This handout is general education, not medical or mental health advice. Listings are written by group leaders and are not endorsements. Confirm details, cost, and fit with any group you contact. Sources on page 2.

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Sources

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Groups for GAD · references keyed to the numbers on page 1.

1Liu, S., Xiao, H., Duan, Y., et al. CBT treatment delivery formats for generalized anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Translational Psychiatry (2025), 15(1), Article 197.

2Cuijpers, P., Sijbrandij, M., Koole, S., Huibers, M., Berking, M., & Andersson, G. Psychological treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: a meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review (2014), 34(2), 130–140.