in St. Louis, Missouri
CBT for Anxiety
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy that’s empathetic, nurturing, impactful, and tailored specifically to you.
You’ve heard that CBT can help with anxiety, but you're wondering - is it actually right for you or your child?
Are you stuck doing endless worksheets all session long? Will your therapist follow a one-size-fits-all approach, doing the exact same thing with your child as they do with everyone else?
And what about your thoughts? Are you going to be told they’re wrong? That you just need to "think positive" and move on? You know something needs to change, but you don’t want to feel judged, dismissed, or told that what you’re experiencing isn’t real.
You’ve tried therapy before, but it didn’t seem to help, or maybe your child’s therapist just didn’t get them. You’re not sure if this is going to be any different. And everywhere online, people are saying CBT is too basic, too rigid, maybe even harmful. So what’s the truth? Can CBT actually help, or is it just another thing that won’t work for you?
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, we believe that CBT should be outcomes-focused, effective, and tailored to you and your child.
We never take a one-size-fits-all approach.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most well-researched, effective approaches for helping kids, teens and young adults manage anxiety, anger, and overwhelming emotions. But sometimes CBT gets a bad rap. Parents and even some clients worry that it could be overly focused on challenging or changing thoughts, making it seem like certain thoughts are “bad” and need to be replaced with more positive ones.
That is not how we use CBT at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.
Instead, we prioritize our relationship first. We focus on kindness, empathy, and unconditional positive regard. We use CBT as a component of our work, but not the endgame.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, CBT is used as a tool to help kids and teens explore the connection between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors - without judgment. We know that’s not the case for every untrained therapist who thinks they already know CBT.
We would never to tell you or your child that a thought or feeling is wrong or bad. In fact, we believe there’s no such thing as a bad thought or a bad feeling. Thoughts are just thoughts. Feelings are just feelings. They’re all valuable pieces of information that help us understand what’s going on internally - and knowing that empowers us to change them when they need to be changed.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy That’s Rooted in Compassion and Unconditional Positive Regard
Our approach to CBT is built on the foundation of Unconditional Positive Regard, a concept pioneered by Carl Rogers. This means that no matter what you, your child or your teen has thought, felt, or done, you are still worthy of care, support, and respect.
We meet kids, teens, young adults, and parents exactly where they are, offering a safe space to explore scary thoughts or big emotions, without fear of judgment.
We fully recognize that CBT may not be the best fit for every person who comes to us.
That’s why we pair the foundation of CBT - what we think impacts what we feel, which impacts how we react - to other evidence-based therapy approaches.
We track outcomes each and every week, and incorporate play therapy interventions, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and mindfulness and relaxation skills to really shape our approach to what you need. And, we’re always checking in on if we’re effective or if we’re not.
Rather than labeling thoughts as “bad” or “irrational,” we help you get curious about them:
What am I telling myself right now? What else could be going on? How does this thought make me feel? When I believe this thought, what do I do? Is this thought helping me, or is it getting in my way?
By recognizing how our thoughts directly impact our feelings & behaviors, and by viewing thoughts and feelings as neutral instead of good or bad, we empower you to develop greater self-awareness and make choices that align with goals.
Ready to find a therapy approach that actually fits your child’s needs? Schedule your call today.
How we use CBT in St. Louis:
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Recognize thought patterns – Helping you notice when certain thoughts lead to you feeling anxious, frustrated, or stuck.
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Understand emotional responses – Learning that feelings aren’t wrong or bad, but signals that something matters to you.
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Build coping skills – Finding specific tools to manage overwhelming emotions in a way that feels right for you.
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Increase confidence – Gaining the ability to choose how you respond to stressful or upsetting situations, empowering you to make real change.
Helping Kids and Teens Feel Heard, Not Criticized
Having anxiety or anxiety-driven anger, getting in trouble all the time, feeling out of control - it’s tough.
Parenting an anxious or angry child is tough, too. And we know that parents can sometimes feel like they’re being blamed for their child’s struggles.
Judgement is never on the table here.
Our team works collaboratively with parents, making sure they feel supported and included in the process.
At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, therapy is never about pointing out what’s wrong—it’s about helping kids and families understand themselves better, build on their strengths, and develop the tools they need to thrive.
What to Expect After CBT at
Compassionate Counseling St. Louis
After working with our team, you’ll start to notice shifts—not just in your child’s behavior, but in how they handle stress, anxiety, and big emotions. They’ll still be the same unique, wonderful kid or teen you love, but they’ll have more tools to navigate challenges without feeling so overwhelmed.
You might see them pausing before reacting, using words to express frustration instead of shutting down or lashing out. They’ll start recognizing anxious thoughts for what they are—just thoughts—not facts that have to control them. You’ll notice more confidence, more calm, and maybe even a little more willingness to try things they used to avoid.
As a parent, you’ll feel more at ease too. Instead of walking on eggshells or feeling powerless to help, you’ll have strategies to support them in a way that actually works. It’s not about changing who they are—it’s about helping them feel more in control, more capable, and more understood.
Frequently Asked Questions for CBT St Louis
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CBT stands for Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. It looks at your cognitions (your thoughts), your emotional reactions, and your behaviors, and how each one impacts and informs the other.
CBT is designed to empower you! You learn more about your thought patterns, your typical reactions, and then you can be in charge of them! You learn tools and strategies to challenge your automatic thoughts, build relaxation skills to feel less overwhelmed, and explore what you would like to do differently the next time.
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Coping with overwhelming emotions is a crucial part of managing anxiety and anxiety-driven anger. We incorporate relaxation skills into most sessions, and we have an in depth resource list full of awesome coping strategies. You can find three favorite relaxation walkthroughs below:
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At Compassionate Counseling St. Louis, our therapists and counselors, charge per 45 minute or 60 minute session. You can find our most up to date fees, along with how we can help YOUR PPO insurance pay you back, on our fees and insurance page.
CBT is an evidence-based practice, meaning the research backs up it’s effectiveness. As such, it is an approved modality for insurance companies to consider it reimbursable.
But more than that, we want you to get your money’s worth here - which is why we track our outcomes, have weekly check ins on progress, and tailor our CBT approach to you! We’re never doing a one-size-fits all approach, and because we’re out of network, we’re also not letting insurance dictate the type or frequency of therapy that you receive.
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Cognitive reframing is the restructuring of your thoughts; recognizing what you’re telling yourself and deciding if there is something more helpful that could also be true.
A classic example we use in therapy is, imagine you walk into the lunch room, and a group of kids starts laughing. What’s the first thought that pops into your head?
Usually, for our anxious kids and teens, it’s something like - they’re laughing at me, or they’re judging me, or I did something wrong.
This isn’t bad to think! It might also be true. But…what else could be true? Could they be laughing at something else? Could they have just been talking about you in a positive way and then you walked in? Could they know your older brother or sister? Could they be laughing because they’re planning a surprise party? Who knows?! We don’t. But regardless of why they’re laughing you get to decide what is more helpful to tell yourself, like “I’m not sure why they’re laughing, but I don’t have to let it bug me.” And that thought change is called a cognitive reframe.
Let’s take the first step together.
Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to talk about CBT and anxiety therapy in St. Louis—or virtually, if that works best for your schedule. If reaching out feels overwhelming, a parent can set up the call for you. No pressure, no judgment—just a chance to see if we’re the right fit.