CABT treats a full range of anxiety and mood conditions in children and adolescents including Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), OCD, Social Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Specific Phobias, school refusal and avoidance, Panic Disorder, emetophobia, PTSD, and depression. If you're not sure whether your child's symptoms qualify for treatment, our intake team can help, just reach out to schedule a free 15-minute call.

CABT treats children and teenagers across a wide age range, from young children through adolescents up to age 18. Our clinicians are trained in developmentally appropriate approaches for each age group, and treatment is always adapted to meet the child or teen where they are, not a one-size-fits-all approach.

In short, if your gut tells you something is off with your child, check it out (hyperlink to “How can we help?” section). If your child’s mood or anxiety are making it difficult for them to go to school, keep up with assignments, spend time with friends, complete daily tasks around the house, or engage in their hobbies, we strongly recommend seeking help from an expert. Our experienced, well-trained, clinicians will carefully evaluate the seriousness of your child’s symptoms, and if there is cause for concern, what could be the most effective treatments for them.

It can be difficult for anyone to talk about things that they’re struggling with, and this may be particularly true for kids. Our expert staff are used to working with children and families that have reservations about therapy. Starting at the very first meeting, we work with the child and the caregivers to make them feel comfortable, heard, and understood so that we can determine the best plan going forward. Often, that will include working directly with the child, but in some cases, will include working directly with parents to help their child via parent coaching.

Parent involvement is a core part of how CABT treats children and teens. At minimum, parents are kept informed of treatment goals and progress. For younger children especially, parents are actively coached on how to respond to anxiety at home in ways that support rather than accidentally reinforce avoidance. For some children, CABT may recommend the SPACE program, which works exclusively with parents. Your therapist will determine the right level of involvement based on your child's age, diagnosis, and needs.

SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) is a parent-only treatment developed at Yale University. Rather than working directly with the child, SPACE equips parents with specific strategies to change the family responses that unintentionally maintain and reinforce their child's anxiety. It's particularly effective for children who are resistant to therapy or too young to engage in traditional CBT, and research shows it can be just as effective as direct child treatment.

Anxiety and worry often interfere with learning and school performance. Some children may perseverate on trying to do schoolwork perfectly while others may be distracted by their anxiety during class. Still others may feel so anxious while in school that they frequently avoid going altogether, potentially missing deadlines and exams. When a child is able to work with their therapist to address these and other kinds of worries, their school performance often improves as the extra burden of anxiety is lifted. 

For many children, CBT treatment alone (without medication) will help children learn to manage their anxious symptoms. In some cases, medication may be considered as an adjunct to treatment. While medication may help your child be more willing to face their fears, it is unlikely to alleviate their fears completely. Thus, it functions more as an adjunct to therapy, allowing your child to maximize their gains from their exposure-based treatment. If your child is unable to tolerate the distress associated with doing exposures or hits a plateau in their progress, your therapist may work with you to consider the benefits of medication. Our therapists do not prescribe medication but do work closely with psychiatrists in the community to  coordinate your child’s care and help your child make the strongest gains towards their treatment goals. 

Our staff is focused on providing time-limited evidence-based treatment. Our goal is to help teach your children skills that will help them gain control of their symptoms and continue to manage these symptoms over time. While treatment typically lasts between 10-25 sessions, this will vary on a case by case basis. Our philosophy is that children should be doing “kid things.” When their treatment goals are resolved, we like to send kids on their way…so that they can enjoy being kids

Yes, we offer in-person kids & teens therapy appointments at our office in Bryn Mawr, PA for patients in the greater Philadelphia area and Main Line. We also offer secure telehealth virtual sessions for patients located throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland — as well as 40+ additional states through PSYPACT. See all PSYPACT eligible states. Telehealth works well for many younger patients and can make it easier for families to attend sessions consistently.

We do not accept insurance, but instead offer a range of fees to help make our services more accessible; please reach out for our most up-to-date rates. If your health insurance has out-of-network benefits, we can provide Superbills for you to submit to your insurance for possible reimbursement. We strongly encourage you to contact your insurance company directly to confirm your benefits, and how to access them.

The first step is a free 15-minute intake call with a member of our team. Parents typically initiate this call on behalf of their child. You can get started by calling (610) 455-5757, emailing newpatient@centerabt.com, or completing our contact form.