Two Evidence-Based Paths for Anxiety
Most Denver anxiety clinics offer one approach. We offer both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) — and we help you pick the right fit for the kind of anxiety you're actually dealing with. This page is the overview; each approach has its own deeper page, linked below.
CBT is the first-line evidence-based treatment for most anxiety — the worry loops, the panic, the social dread, the "what if" spirals. It's structured, skills-focused, and efficient. DBT is the better fit when anxiety comes with emotional overwhelm, trauma, or co-occurring borderline personality disorder — when the problem isn't just anxious thoughts but a whole nervous system that runs hot.
We match the technique to the problem — not the other way around.
CBT or DBT for Anxiety?
A quick side-by-side. Click either card to read the deep-dive on that approach.
CBT for Anxiety
- Best for
- Worry loops, panic, phobias, social anxiety, OCD
- Commitment
- Weekly 50-min sessions, ~3-4 months typical
- Focus
- Thoughts ↔ behaviors: identify anxious patterns, test them against evidence, reduce avoidance through exposure
DBT for Anxiety
- Best for
- Anxiety with intense emotion, hard-to-regulate reactivity, co-occurring BPD or trauma
- Commitment
- Individual + weekly skills group, ~6-12 months
- Focus
- Emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness — for when anxiety hijacks your whole system
Not sure which is right? That's what the free consultation is for — we'll ask about your anxiety in enough detail to recommend an approach, not just schedule you into whatever's available.
Understanding the Anxiety Cycle
Anxiety isn't just a feeling — it's a pattern. CBT works by interrupting each part of this cycle.
Trigger
A situation, thought, or physical sensation activates your threat response — sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle.
Anxious Thoughts
Your mind interprets the trigger as dangerous: "What if something goes wrong?" "I can't handle this." These thoughts feel like facts.
Physical Response
Your body reacts — racing heart, tight chest, nausea, tension. These sensations can intensify the fear and make it feel more real.
Avoidance
You avoid what scares you. This brings short-term relief but teaches your brain the threat was real — making anxiety stronger next time.
CBT gives you tools to intervene at every point in this cycle: challenging the thoughts, changing the avoidance behavior, and calming the physical response.
Targeted Treatments for Different Anxiety Types
Everyone's anxiety is unique. We use different CBT techniques depending on your needs.
Generalized Anxiety & Panic
Track symptoms, challenge anxious thinking, and practice calming techniques that retrain your nervous system.
OCD
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) — the gold-standard therapy that helps you face obsessive fears without relying on compulsive behaviors.
PTSD & Trauma
Prolonged Exposure Therapy — a proven approach that reduces trauma-related anxiety by helping you gradually process the fear response.
Phobias & Social Anxiety
Guided exposure and skill-building to work through specific fears at your pace, with real-life changes along the way.
What Our Treatment Includes
Our anxiety treatment is built on a step-by-step process that keeps you supported and making steady progress.
When Anxiety Comes With Something Else
Anxiety often overlaps with depression, burnout, or past trauma. That's why we also use transdiagnostic CBT — a flexible method that works across multiple concerns.
Instead of getting stuck in labels, we look at how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all connected and help you shift them in a meaningful way.
What the Research Shows
Decades of clinical research support CBT as the most effective psychological treatment for anxiety disorders; DBT is also strongly evidence-based for anxiety that co-occurs with emotion dysregulation or trauma.
of people with anxiety disorders show significant improvement after CBT treatment
improvements maintained at 1-year and 2-year follow-ups, outperforming medication alone for long-term outcomes
sessions is the typical range for meaningful change, with many clients noticing improvement in 4–6 sessions
recommended treatment by the APA, NICE, and WHO for generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and social anxiety
Is Anxiety Therapy Right for You?
You don't need a formal diagnosis to get help. If anxiety is interfering with your relationships, your sleep, your work, or just how you feel day to day — evidence-based therapy can make a real difference.
Our approach works well for adults who want more than someone to talk to. It's for people ready to build skills and feel more in control of their lives again. Whether that means CBT or DBT depends on the kind of anxiety you're dealing with — we'll help you sort that out.
We start with a free phone consultation so you can ask questions, share your concerns, and decide if FRTC feels like a good fit.
Anxiety Therapy Online Across Colorado
Not in the Denver metro? We offer secure, HIPAA-compliant online video therapy for anxiety across Colorado. Same structured plan, same clinicians — just delivered by video instead of in person. Both our CBT and DBT anxiety programs run in a teletherapy format.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of anxiety do you treat?
We treat the full spectrum of anxiety — generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic attacks, phobias, health anxiety, PTSD, and OCD. Our clinicians are trained in both CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) and DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), so we can match the approach to the kind of anxiety you're dealing with rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all treatment.
CBT or DBT — which is right for my anxiety?
For most garden-variety anxiety (worry loops, panic, phobias, social anxiety, OCD), CBT is the first-line evidence-based treatment and typically the more efficient choice. For anxiety that feels overwhelming or destabilizing — particularly if it co-occurs with emotion dysregulation, trauma, or borderline personality traits — DBT's skills-based approach often works better. In a free consultation we'll help you figure out which fits. You can also compare approaches on our <a href='/cbt-for-anxiety-denver'>CBT for Anxiety</a> and <a href='/dbt-therapy-for-anxiety'>DBT for Anxiety</a> pages.
How long does anxiety treatment take?
With CBT, most clients feel relief within 4-6 sessions and complete meaningful work in 12-20 sessions. With DBT, the program runs 6-12 months with both individual sessions and a weekly skills group. Trauma and OCD work sometimes takes longer regardless of modality.
Do I need a diagnosis to start therapy?
No. While some clients come with diagnoses from previous providers, others are just overwhelmed by anxiety and want help. We treat people, not just diagnoses. Our first step is always to understand your experience and recommend an approach to match.
Can I do therapy online?
Yes — we offer full teletherapy options for Colorado residents. You'll receive the same structured treatment via secure, HIPAA-compliant video sessions from home. This applies to both CBT and DBT anxiety work.
What makes FRTC different from other clinics for anxiety?
We specialize in evidence-based therapy and we offer both CBT and DBT under one roof — so if one approach isn't the right fit, we can adjust without sending you elsewhere. We're a DBT-Linehan Board Certified Program, which is rare in Denver, and our CBT clinicians are trained in exposure-based protocols that generic 'anxiety therapists' often aren't.
What if I've tried therapy before and it didn't work?
Many clients come to us after open-ended talk therapy that didn't move the needle. Both CBT and DBT are structured and skills-focused — we teach you how to manage anxiety, not just talk about it. We track progress, and every session moves toward a measurable outcome.
Ready to Reclaim Your Calm?
You don't have to live like this. Call us for a free consultation and take the first step.