We are currently providing services in-person and using a secure videoconferencing platform.

Our Center provides high quality evidence-based cognitive behavior therapy to children, adolescents, and adults for a wide range of problems. We also offer training and consultation to professionals and trainees who wish to learn more about cognitive behavior therapy. A unique feature of our practice is our commitment to conducting research to contribute to the body of knowledge in our field. Please read below for more information regarding problems we treat, cognitive behavior therapy, fees and insurance, and steps for getting started. For our privacy policies, please click here.

Problems We Treat

Our providers are experienced in treating the following problems in children, adolescents, and adults. For child or adolescent treatment, please contact Dr. Ember Cook, Psy.D.

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder

  • Interpersonal and Relationship Difficulties

  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

  • Unhealthy Substance Use/Abuse

  • Social Anxiety Disorder

  • Gender and Sexual Identity Issues

  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

  • Obsessions, Rumination and Other Repetitive Negative Thinking

  • Depression

  • Phobias

  • Panic Disorder

  • Bereavement

  • Perfectionism

  • Anger

  • Insomnia

  • Procrastination

  • Hair-pulling, skin-picking

  • Difficulty Making Decisions

  • Agoraphobia

  • Life Stress and Transitions

  • Self-Criticism

  • Avoidance

  • Low Self-Esteem

  • Health Anxiety

Please reach out to us if you want help with a problem that is not listed here. We’ll let you know if we have the skills to treat it, and if not, we’ll recommend local providers who do.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapy that helps by teaching people to identify and change the thoughts and behaviors that are contributing to their difficulties.

Cognitive behavior therapy is:

  • Evidence-based. Research has shown CBT to be an effective treatment for a variety of mood, anxiety, substance use, and other difficulties. The treatment is also evidence-based in that you and your therapist will collect data to monitor your progress as therapy proceeds and will use the data to maximize the therapy’s effectiveness. 

  • Goal-oriented. You and your therapist will identify goals you want to accomplish in your therapy. Typical therapy goals include: reducing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety, reducing time spent worrying, increasing ease of decision-making, reducing procrastination, improving your relationships.

  • Collaborative. You and your therapist will work together as a team to develop a shared understanding of your difficulties and a plan to address them.

  • Present-focused. Although your therapist will spend some time working with you to understand how you developed the difficulties you are struggling with, the main focus of therapy sessions will be on the present.  

  • Active. Your therapist will play an active role as teacher and coach, and you will be asked to work actively to learn and practice new skills.

Types of CBT we provide include:

  • Traditional CBT as developed by Aaron T. Beck, M.D. and many others.

  • Exposure-based treatment for anxiety and related disorders

  • Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • Harm Reduction for substance over-use and other difficulties

  • Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP)

You and your therapist will begin the therapy by setting goals for your treatment and identifying strategies for assessing progress toward the goals. Weekly sessions are usually needed to make good progress. Your therapist will likely ask you to complete one or two assessment scales before each session that they will review with you in the session and use to monitor your progress. At the beginning of the session, you and your therapist together will set an agenda of topics to take up in the session. The therapist will help you develop a cognitive-behavioral understanding of your difficulties, and will teach you tools and strategies you can use to address thoughts (cognitions) and behaviors that may be contributing to your difficulties. You’ll be asked to practice what you learn in the sessions during the week and to give your therapist feedback about whether what you are learning in therapy is helping you accomplish your goals. A typical course of treatment lasts about 25 sessions, but sometimes goals can be accomplished in fewer sessions, and not infrequently more sessions are needed.

Fees and Insurance

Our Center is an out-of-network provider and does not accept any form of insurance. We can accept Health Savings Accounts and provide monthly invoices that clients can submit if their insurance plans offer out-of-network coverage. Session fees range from $225 - $310 per session depending on clinician and length of the session. If you are interested in CBT but are not able to afford our fees please click here to explore low fee options in the Bay Area.

Questions to ask your insurance plan to determine whether you have out-of-network coverage:

  • How much coverage is available for out-of-network providers? For example, does the insurance company reimburse the full fee or a portion of the full fee?

  • Is approval required by a primary care provider?

  • What is the deductible (the amount you must pay first before you are eligible for reimbursement of fees)?

  • Does the insurance company limit the total number of visits or sessions per calendar year? If yes, what is the total number of sessions per calendar year?

  • Does the insurance company limit the total amount reimbursed per session? If so, ask how much they reimburse for the following CPT Codes, otherwise known as procedure codes:

    • 90791 (first evaluation or consultation appointment)

    • 90834 (typical 45-minute session)

    • 90837 (an extended session of 60-minutes; note that many companies will not reimburse this code).

Getting started

Step 1: Initial contact. Reach out to us by phone (510-662-8405 ext 0) or email (general@oaklandcbt.com). For child or adolescent treatment, please contact Dr. Ember Cook, Psy.D.

Step 2: Brief phone consultation. We’re happy to answer any questions you have, and we’ll want to spend about 10 minutes on the telephone with you to learn a bit about your situation in order to determine whether meeting for a consultation session makes sense for you.

Step 3: Consultation session. In a consultation session, you’ll sit down with a clinician to evaluate your situation in order to determine whether cognitive behavioral therapy is likely to meet your needs. Before the session, the clinician will ask you to complete a number of assessment tools that will help the therapist evaluate your situation. The clinician will offer some details about the treatment she is recommending to you, so you can determine whether their recommendations make sense to you and if you would like to go forward with treatment. The clinician will answer any questions you have. Usually these consultation goals can be accomplished in one session, but sometimes two or even three sessions are required to make a determination as to whether it makes sense to go forward with treatment. Under a new law you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services. For more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises. Your clinician can offer you some estimate about the number of sessions you may need during the consultation.