Rena Blatt, Director of Group Therapy

Group CBT Program’s mission is to help each group member thrive socially, psychologically, and academically by providing social-emotional skill-building and practice for children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing difficulty across various situations and life domains. We integrate developmental considerations with hands-on role-plays and exercises to teach children and adolescents to develop self-confidence and emotion regulation in challenging settings. Our groups begin as young as 5-years-old and range to young adults. We also offer Parenting Groups utilizing Parent Management Training. We pride ourselves in tailoring our groups to each group member’s age and developmental level, symptom presentation, and specific needs.

The following groups are currently being held virtually at CFI:

•  Pre-teen Group for Social Anxiety and Social Skills (CBT)
  • Your child will gain peer support from others struggling with similar issues
  • Your child will learn Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) skills to manage anxiety
  • Your child will learn and practice strategies for success among academic and social settings
• Teen Girls Group
  • Gain skills to strengthen self confidence, improve self esteem and manage anxiety, stress, or depression through a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) framework
  • Gain peer support and build meaningful connections with others struggling with similar issues
• Teen Boys Group 
  • Gain peer support from others struggling with managing difficult emotions
  • Learn Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) skills to manage anxiety and depression
  • Learn strategies for success among academic and social settings 
• Young Adult Group (ages 18-25)
  • Gain peer support from others struggling with similar issues
  • Learn Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) skills to manage anxiety and depression
  • Learn strategies for success among academic, professional, and social settings
• Virtual Behavior Management Group Program- 12 Weeks of Evidence-Based Group Therapy for Both Parent and Child 
  • Child skills-building group: Learn skills to identify and manage strong emotions, and socialize with peers
  • Parent management group: Tools and techniques to effectively manage challenging home behaviors
  • Virtual, in-home live coaching: Receive direct feedback from group therapy to reinforce skills taught in group during the most challenging time of the day via Zoom (available for both parent and child)
• Teen Group ages 16-18
  • Gain skills to strengthen self confidence, improve self esteem and manage anxiety, stress, or depression through a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) framework
  • Gain peer support and build meaningful connections with others struggling with similar issues
• Coping Cat Anxiety Group ages 8-10
  • Learn CBT techniques to address a variety of anxiety disorders
  • Learn skills to improve self-esteem and confidence 
  • Meet and connect with other children in a fun, supportive environment
• Young Teen LGBTQ+ Group ages 14-15
  • Peer support for feelings of sadness and frustration connected to social issues and self-concept
  • Learn skills to ease feelings of worry, anger, shame, and sadness
  • Learn skills to handle social and interpersonal dilemmas with mastery and calm

If you are interested in joining one of our groups, or for more information, please contact info@childfamilyinstitute.com. 

Group Therapy Clinical Team

Dominique Pagano, LMSW, Group Clinician

Jason Lewinter, LMSW, Group Clinician

Lauren Ciubotaru, Intake Coordinator/Group Co-Leader

Emily Johnson, Intake Coordinator/Group Co-Leader

Adam S. Weissman, Ph.D., Chief Psychologist