Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and actions, then change the patterns that keep addiction going. It is one of the most researched, most effective therapies in addiction care, and at New Wave it is paired with holistic healing every day.
What Is CBT?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, or CBT, is a structured, evidence-based therapy built on a simple idea: the way you think shapes the way you feel and act. In addiction, certain thoughts and beliefs, often automatic and unhelpful, drive the cycle of use. CBT helps you catch those thoughts, question them, and replace them with healthier ones.
With a licensed therapist, you learn to spot your personal triggers, interrupt the chain that leads to use, and practice new responses until they become second nature. It is practical and skills-focused, the kind of work that keeps paying off long after you leave treatment.
How CBT Helps in Recovery
CBT gives you tools you can use in real life:
Recognizing high-risk situations before they escalate, managing cravings without acting on them, challenging the all-or-nothing thinking that fuels relapse, and rebuilding confidence one small win at a time. Because the skills are concrete, they translate directly into daily living. Paired with our daily holistic practices like mindfulness, the calm you build in the body makes the thinking work land even deeper.
Explore Our Clinical Therapies
Each of our evidence-based therapies works together as part of your individualized plan. Explore the others in this approach.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Change the thought patterns that drive substance use.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Build emotional regulation and distress tolerance.
Group Therapy
Heal alongside peers who understand.
Individual Therapy
One-on-one work with your own clinician.
Medication Management
Medical oversight when medication supports recovery.
Family Therapy
Repair and strengthen the relationships that matter.
Care that feels different
We were founded by people in long-term recovery, so the way we treat you comes from having been where you are. That shows up in everything we do.
Founded by people in recovery
When you call New Wave, you talk to someone who has walked this path, not a call center. This is personal for us.
The same therapist throughout
You keep your private therapist as you move between levels of care, so your progress is never interrupted and you never start over.
Holistic care, every day
Reiki, yoga, sound healing, and mindfulness are woven into daily treatment alongside evidence-based therapy, not offered once in a while.
Meet the People Behind Your Recovery
Our licensed clinicians and team, many in long-term recovery themselves, are who you will work with at New Wave.
Angela Faccone
Co-Founder & Program Director
Charles Draleau
Executive Director
Melanie Draleau
Co-Founder & Reiki Practitioner
Ryan SmithBratton
Co-Founder & Director of Community Outreach
Danielle Visone
Mental Health Counselor & Clinical Director
Recovery That People Remember
Insurance & payment: Contact our team and we will work with you to verify insurance benefits.
Fill out our form and contact us for additional assistance
Evidence-Based Therapy FAQs
Want to talk to a real person? Call us, someone in recovery will answer.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
CBT is an evidence-based therapy that helps you identify and change the negative thought patterns and behaviors that fuel addiction, replacing them with healthier ways of thinking and coping.
How does CBT help with addiction?
CBT helps you recognize the triggers and thoughts that lead to substance use, then build practical skills to manage cravings, handle stress, and respond differently in high-risk moments.
Is CBT used alone or with other therapies?
CBT works best as part of a complete plan. At New Wave we combine it with DBT, group and individual therapy, and daily holistic care for whole-person healing.
How long does CBT take to work?
Many people notice a shift within a few weeks, though it varies. CBT skills keep building over time and continue to help long after treatment ends.
Is CBT covered by insurance?
Often yes. We are in-network with WellSense and approved through MassHealth (the plan we accept is WellSense). Our team can verify your benefits.
Do I keep the same therapist for CBT?
Yes. You work with the same private therapist across levels of care, so your CBT work builds steadily without interruption.
Keep learning
Helpful, judgment-free articles on recovery, treatment, and supporting the people you love.
See How CBT Can Help You
Our licensed clinicians use CBT as part of a whole-person plan. Call and we will help you take the first step.
- 100% Confidential
- Free Assessment
- No Commitment
- You'll talk to someone in recovery
In a crisis? If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.