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Resources to Locate a Cognitive Therapist

We do not have referral listings of cognitive therapists but the following information can help you locate one. Click on the links provided or copy & paste the website address into your internet browser.

1. www.academyofct.org
   (Academy of Cognitive Therapy or ACT)

The Academy of Cognitive Therapy provides a listing of Certified Cognitive Therapists. If you would like to see the qualifications for certification, please click on PROFESSIONALS and then click on CERTIFICATION IN CT.

To locate a Certified Cognitive Therapist, click on GENERAL INFO then click on the "Find a Certified Cognitive Therapist" link.

If in the USA, the fastest way to search is to use Option 3: Search by Zip Code. You can enter the zip code of your search area. Select 40 miles for your search range so you can select from a wider range of therapists.

If you are outside the USA, click on the appropriate country.

We do not recommend searching by last name since not all therapists names show up using this method.

Also, on the ACT home page, there is a link titled: CONSUMERS. This section has a lot of useful information about Cognitive Therapy. It also is helpful information to use when looking for a cognitive therapist in your area.

2. www.aabt.org
   (Association for Behavioral & Cognitive Therapies  or ABCT. Formerly known as the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy or AABT).

If you click on ABOUT ABCT, you will find a lot of useful information about Cognitive Therapy.

If you click on THE PUBLIC, you will see links for a variety of resource information.

To locate a therapist, use the FIND A THERAPIST link.

ABCT is a professional membership organization of cognitive and behavioral therapists. The therapists listed in their referral directory have met the requirements of membership in the organization. However, this does not mean that they have met any additional requirements for expertise in Cognitive Therapy.

3. Search the telephone yellow pages under Psychologist

If you do not find any therapists using #1 & 2, you can look in the telephone yellow pages under Psychologist. Check for any listings that identify themselves as cognitive or cognitive-behavioral therapists. Contact them and interview them about their therapy orientation, cognitive therapy training and experience.

4. Call the closest university counseling center and ask if they have recommendations of cognitive therapists in your area.
    

5. Search www.google.com
    

6. If you are in Europe, visit www.eabct.com
   (European Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy or EABCT). Click on Links. Select an organization in the region of interest.

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Resources to help you know what kinds of questions to ask and what to look for when selecting a therapist:

1. The Anxiety Disorders Association of America has some helpful questions you can customize to suit your needs. Visit www.adaa.org Click on GET HELP. Scan to the bottom of the page and click on FIND A THERAPIST. Also there is a link there called TREATMENT OPTIONS. This takes you to GUIDE TO TREATMENT page which includes help on Choosing a Therapist and Questions to Ask.

2. The American Psychological Association (APA) Help Center has helpful articles about psychotherapy. For example, "Finding Help: How to Choose a Psychotherapist" and "How to Find Help Through Psychotherapy." Click HERE or enter the following address in your browser to reach this section: www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/topic.php?id=5

3. The Academy of Cognitive Therapy (ACT) has useful information on their home page. Visit www.academyofct.org and click on the CONSUMERS link.

Please USE CAUTION when visiting websites that offer referral services.
Be an INFORMED consumer!

We believe as consumers you need to carefully check any website that has a directory listing of therapists. Here are some of our recommendations:

1. Check the About Us section. What do they tell you about who they are, their purpose, their mission. Do they provide specifics? Are they part of an organization? If all they provide is general information then you do not know with whom you are dealing.

2. What is the process through which a therapist gets listed. Are therapists listed because they meet professional, national organization qualifications? Are there restrictions on listings (only one therapist per modality, or one therapist per geographical location).

3. Do therapists get listed merely because they pay a fee. Payment of a fee to be listed is not in and of itself a negative (websites have expenses and it is totally proper for them to charge fees). However, if the only qualification is for the therapist to pay a fee, you as a consumer are entitled to know that and not be led to believe there are other qualifications that they met to be listed.

INFORM YOURSELF: An example of what is helpful and useful information

We refer you to the Academy of Cognitive Therapy (www.AcademyofCT.org). Click on their link ABOUT US. You can see the date they were founded, the mission, the names and address of the Board of  Directors. A great deal of specific information about the organization. There is detailed information for consumers, information about therapist certification, information about the directory listing.

INFORM YOURSELF:  An example of why we recommend caution

Recently we received an email from a website called TherapeuticDirectory that bills itself as "The Nation's Premier Web Based Therapeutic Referral Directory."

In an effort to verify this statement, we clicked on the ABOUT US link: no specific information provided. Clicked on the CONTACT US link: no information provided. 

We clicked on FAMILY / INDIVIDUAL THERAPIST link. On that page they state, "Search for the best Pre-Screened Therapist in your area." We have been unable to determine what the pre-screening is other than payment of a fee.

On the THERAPISTS LOOKING FOR NEW PATIENTS CLICK HERE link we discovered that they allow only one therapist per zip code. So, this gives new meaning to their statement, "Search for the best Pre-Screened Therapist in your area."

So, in our effort to be informed, we discovered:
(a) we don't know who they are
(b) to be listed the therapist pays them a fee and is guaranteed to be the only therapist per zip code